You Steal My Pain Away
by kelly-clarkson-is-awesome
Summary: Francine (OC) and Richard (OC) have to figure out a way to survive this zombie apocalypse to get back home to California. But when they meet up with Rick's group at the prison, things start to change for better or worse.
1. Chapter 1

Francine wakes up at the crack of dawn. She looks out her window and it's still dark. She rolls to her side and sees her boyfriend, Richard, sleeping next to her soundly. Francine smiles and kisses Richard lightly. She takes a quick morning shower, and Richard stirs awake from the sound of the shower running. He smiles as he watches Francine drying herself off. She walks back into the room with her towel, and she smiles seeing Richard awake.

Francine: Morning, babe.

Richard: Morning. Where you going?

Francine: Nowhere. Just wanted to get ready.

Richard: At 6 in the morning?

Francine: (smiles) I don't wanna spend our time in Atlanta sleeping.

Richard reaches his arm out to Francine, and she jumps in bed next to him. They share a passionate kiss, and Richard slips his hand down to touch her. Francine moans lightly and she kisses his lips, jawline down to his chest, stomach. She throws the blanket and covers aside as she continues kissing Richard down south. Richard moans as Francine pleases him with her lips on his member. He feels himself about to finish, and he brings Francine back up before he does. He lies Francine on her back so he can get on top, and they make love until the sun comes up. Richard finishes Francine off, and he comes inside her feeling her walls clamp around him. They both shudder as they come down from their climax. Richard strokes Francine's cheek softly with his thumb, looking deeply into her eyes.

Richard: God, (smiles) you're so beautiful.

Francine laughs sheepishly and pushes Richard off of her.

Francine: Get ready. My sisters and Joe should be awake soon.

Richard: C'mon, babe. We got Mina tonight so let's do as much as we can now.

Francine: You already came, babe.

Richard: Yeah, but I can go again.

Francine: (raises eyebrow) Oh really?

Richard: (smiles) Yeah.

Richard leans Francine back down on the bed and kisses her. They go for a second round, and they lose track of time. Francine is riding on top of Richard when a knock comes on their hotel door.

Jenny: Children, are you awake?

Francine: U-Uh, yeah. We're just getting ready now.

Jenny: Alright. We'll be downstairs in the lobby then.

Francine and Richard wait a moment looking at the door. They then look at one another.

Francine: We have to make this quick.

Richard: Here.

Francine gets off of Richard and goes into her favorite position as Richard starts pounding quickly. In a record time, Francine climaxes and Richard finishes inside her again. Richard rolls on his side, exhausted and satisfied.

Francine: (panting) Alright, get ready now.

Richard: (panting) Yes m'am.

Richard washes up as Francine cleans herself. They put on their clothes, and they head down to the lobby in half an hour. Jenny and her fiancee Joe are sitting on the lobby couch as Mina sits with them looking at pictures in a magazine. Joe has his arm around Jenny as she's resting her head on his shoulder. They see Richard and Francine walking into the lobby, laughing and playfully joking with one another.

Jenny: (chortle) Look at them.

Joe: Young love, huh?

Jenny: Who knew they'd last this long.

Joe: I thought you always liked Richard. A lot better than Scott.

Jenny: I do. But I didn't think they'd last this long.

Joe: Why not?

Jenny: I don't know. I just feel like Franny is too good for him, you know?

Joe: (chortle) Franny's too good for any guy she'll date.

Jenny: (smiles) Yeah. (to Mina) Mina, baby, look who's finally ready.

Mina looks up from the magazine and sees Francine and Richard walking towards them.

Mina: Franny!

The 3-year-old baby sister of Jenny and Francine puts down the magazine and runs towards Francine and Richard.

Francine: (smiles) Hey, my little baby girl.

Francine picks Mina up in her arms and kisses her.

Francine: Did you miss me, doll?

Mina: (nods) Yes.

Francine: And what do you say to Richard?

Mina: Good morning, Richard.

Richard: (smiles) Good morning, Mina. You excited to head out to the water park?

Mina: Yes! Look, I have my sunglass.

Francine: Sunglasses, baby.

Mina takes off her sunglasses hanging from her shirt, and she puts them on. She grins at Francine and Richard, and it melts their hearts.

Richard: (laughs) Aw, you look like a star, Mina.

Richard and Francine with Mina in her arms walk towards Jenny and Joe.

Jenny: _Finally_, you two.

Francine: Richard took too long with the shower. (looks at Richard) Right babe?

Richard: Yeah. (eyes Francine with a smirk)

Jenny: _Right_. (smirks) Let's go.

They all walk out of the hotel building and wait out at the street for a cab. They take a cab to the water park, and they first head to the area with auto-currents that's like a mini-beach. Jenny and Francine are lying on beach chairs relaxing while Joe and Richard play with Mina in the shallow parts of the water. Francine and Jenny are watching their boyfriends playing with their baby sister.

Jenny: So where are you and Richard heading?

Francine: Uh...I don't know. We kinda like where we are now.

Jenny: Have you two ever talked about anything serious?

Francine: What? You mean marriage? (scoffs) No.

Jenny: Why not? You two have been dating for over a year.

Francine: So? Did you and Joe talk about marriage after a year of dating?

Jenny: Actually, yeah.

Francine: Yeah, well Richard and I aren't you and Joe, Jenny. Hey, let's take a picture and send it to Johnny!

Jenny: (laughs) And Philip. Let's rub it in their faces how much fun we're having here.

Francine smiles and takes out her phone. She takes a nice selfie with her older sister, and she sends it to their two brothers back in California.

Francine: Man, Johnny and Philip are gonna regret not coming on vacation with us.

Jenny: Totally.

Woman: (at the top of her lungs) HELP! HELP ME PLEASE! SOMEBODY HELP ME!

Francine and Jenny jump from fright at the sound of the woman's shrieks for help. Her shrieks are in such contrast with the beautiful day. Everyone in the area look and panic seeing the woman running to them bloodied. A part of her face is missing from being chewed off.

Jenny: What the hell... / Francine: Oh my god...

Jenny stares at the woman in shock while Francine runs over to Richard, Mina, and Joe who are also staring at the woman. Richard holds Francine's hand tightly while holding Mina in his other arm.

Richard: What's happening?

Joe: I'm gonna check to see if she's alright.

Francine: No, Joe! She's clearly not alright. Look at her face.

Joe: Yeah, but that woman needs help.

Francine: No, Joe, wait!

Joe and a few other people run towards the bleeding woman, but they all freeze in their tracks when they see a large group of bloodied humans walking towards them, all lifeless and hungry for flesh. The people standing closer to the bloodied people are attacked by these walkers, and all hell breaks loose. People scream and run in every direction away from the hoard of walkers entering the area. Joe watches in shock as a walker tackles down a little boy who's barely older than Mina, and the walker rips a hole in the boy's stomach with its teeth. He watches blood squirting everywhere mixing with the water, the walker eating the boy's insides, the boy's lifeless expression of utter shock and pain from being ripped apart by a monster. Joe turns around and runs back as fast as he can back to his family. Richard and Francine can't see Joe through the crowd of people running away, and Francine looks back and sees Jenny standing there frozen.

Francine: Come on.

Francine pulls Richard, and they run to Jenny.

Jenny: Where's Joe?!

Francine: I don't know. But we gotta go, Jenny.

Jenny: NO! No, I'm not leaving without Joe!

Francine: Jenny!

Joe comes running to the family through the panicked crowd.

Joe: Run! RUN!

Joe grabs Jenny's hand as the family runs with the crowd of people. They manage to run out of the water park, but they see the zombie massacre in the streets. Bodies are on the floor chewed up or being chewed on by walkers, and the walkers are lunging after the running and screaming people as a free-for-all. The family is frozen with shock at the horrible zombie apocalypse, unable to understand what's going on. No one sees a walker approaching Jenny, and it takes a huge bite out of her neck. Jenny screams in absolute pain, and Joe sees what's happening to his fiancee. Francine screams in horror, and Joe kicks the walker off of Jenny. Richard pulls Francine close to him as he looks around for a way out of the pandemic streets.

Joe: Jenny!

Jenny is crying and screaming with her hand on her neck, bleeding tremendously.

Joe: Take your hand away, Jenny. Take your hand away so I can see how bad it is.

Jenny takes her hand off her neck, and she sees the look of horror on Joe's face. She puts her hand back onto her neck to try and stop the bleeding.

Joe: Holy fuck, Jenny!

Richard lets go of Francine's hand, seeing that she's too shocked at what happened to Jenny to focus on getting a way out. Richard runs to the nearest car and shatters the driver's seat window with his elbow. He unlocks the car and puts Mina in the back seat safely.

Mina: Richard...

Richard: Stay here, Mina. I'm getting your family out of here.

Richard runs back to Francine and pulls her towards the car.

Richard: Joe! Get Jenny in the car now!

Joe helps Jenny into the backseat with Mina as Richard makes Francine get in the passenger seat. Richard then runs to the driver's seat and hot-wires the car.

Francine: R-Richard, Richard, watch out!

A walker lunges its face in through the broken window, but Richard moves out of the way just in time. With all her might, Francine kicks the walker's face making it bleed all over Richard.

Joe: Drive! Drive! Drive!

Richard immediately floors the car, driving away and swerving around the people being eaten by walkers on the street.

Richard: (panics) Where do I go? Where do I go?

Joe: We gotta get help for Jenny.

Francine quickly looks back to her sister, and she sees how pale Jenny is already. Jenny is having trouble breathing, and Francine breaks down into tears. She understands that some sort of zombie apocalypse has spread like an epidemic in the city, but she doesn't understand why and she doesn't know what will happen to Jenny now that she's been bit.

Francine: (to Mina) Here. Come here, baby.

Mina climbs into Francine's arms, and Francine holds her baby sister tightly. Mina can feel Francine trembling with fright.

Mina: (looks up at Francine) What's happening, Franny?

Francine: (tries to stop crying) I don't know. I don't know, sweetheart.

Joe: (to Richard) We gotta get to the hospital, man.

Richard: I don't know where the hospital is.

Joe: There isn't a GPS in the car?

Richard: (to Francine) Check.

Francine looks in the compartments but there's no GPS.

Francine: No. No GPS.

Richard: We gotta get back to the hotel.

Francine: (nods) Y-Yeah. Yeah, the hotel.

Pandemonium hasn't broken out at the hotel yet, and Richard parks where the cabs are supposed to.

Valet man: Sir, you can't park here. Sir!

The family runs out of the car, and everyone is in shock seeing Jenny's bloodied state and blood all over Richard's shirt. The people panic seeing Jenny, and they all steer clear from the family running into the hotel. The hotel manager quickly greets the family in the lobby to stop them from going anywhere.

Manager: Excuse me, what's going on here?

Joe: We need a doctor now! Please, my fiancee was bit!

Manager: Bit? By what?

Joe: Some kinda...zombie or something!

The people in the lobby talk to one another, and the manager breaks a sweat knowing this is going to ruin his hotel business.

Manager: Sir, I'm going to have to ask you and your family to leave. You're creating a panic here-

Francine: Please, you don't understand. There are zombies out there killing and eating people!

Manager: Alright, all of you, out now! Now!

A woman shrieks as a group of zombies enter the hotel and start attacking the nearest people around them. The family push the manager out of their way and they immediately take the elevator upstairs to their floor. They quickly arrive to their floor and see couples waiting for the elevator.

Richard: Don't go down there!

Woman: My god, what happened to her?

Richard: There are zombies down there. Don't go down there! Just stay in your rooms!

Richard runs off with the family into Jenny and Joe's room. Richard puts his back to the door and quickly puts all the locks in place as Joe helps Jenny to their bed. He lays Jenny down, and Francine puts Mina down. Francine walks over to Joe and Jenny, and she whimpers seeing how much blood her sister is losing.

Francine: (bursts into tears) Jenny.

Jenny: (shivering from excessive blood loss) Franny.

Francine drops to her knees and sobs for her sister.

Jenny: Sh, sh. Look at me, Franny. Look at me.

Francine looks up at her sister. It just makes her cry more seeing the big hole in Jenny's neck.

Jenny: (pants for breaths) Take care of Mina. Keep her safe.

Francine quickly wipes her tears away with her hand to hold onto Jenny's hand. Francine tries her best to calm down to talk to Jenny.

Francine: (trembling) Jenny, y-you're gonna be alright. You're g-gonna be fine. (sniffs) We're all gonna get out of here, okay? You just...(tears) you just have to hold on, alright? Please, just hold on.

Jenny: No, Franny. It's too late for me. Just keep Mina safe. Get back home. Johnny, Philip.

Francine bursts into tears again.

Jenny: (breathing heavily) Look at me, Francine.

Francine looks at Jenny, sobbing for her sister.

Jenny: Survive. You hear me? Survive. (gasps for air) Richard, I know he'll take care of you.

Francine: Jenny...

Jenny kisses the back of Francine's hand weakly. Jenny starts tearing up and cries looking at Francine, knowing that the end is nearing for her.

Jenny: (cries) I love you, little sister. I love you so much, with all my heart.

Francine: (sobs) I love you too, Jenny. I love you too. I promise I'll keep Mina safe. I promise I'll get back home. I promise you, I'll live.

Jenny smiles as tears continue to stream down her eyes. She then looks to Joe, and he breaks down by her side. Joe goes on his knees, and Jenny turns to her fiancee. Francine looks over to Richard still by the door, watching the family with tears in his eyes. Mina is standing in-between the door and the bed, watching with confusion. Francine is shocked that Mina isn't crying at all, but she knows Mina's too young to understand what's going on. Francine crawls over to Mina, and she cradles her baby sister in her arms. Richard walks over to Jenny, and she looks up at him. He kneels down by her bedside next to Joe.

Richard: I'm so sorry, Jenny...

Jenny: Richard, promise me you'll keep Francine safe.

Richard: I promise. I'll protect Francine with my life. And Mina.

Jenny: (smiles weakly) You're a good guy, Richard. You keep my sisters safe.

Richard: (nods) I will. I promise.

Richard kisses the back of Jenny's hand, and he leaves Joe to be with his dying fiancee. He walks over to Francine, and he holds her in his arms. She can feel him trembling, and she digs her face in his chest. Richard holds Francine tightly and kisses her head, watching Joe and Jenny's last moments together. A loud bang comes on their door, and Francine jumps from fright. Mina holds onto Francine tighter, afraid now. Francine bursts into tears again as the banging doesn't stop. The family can hear people screaming outside in the hallway, the sound of teeth crunching bone and flesh.

Francine: (cries and whimpers) Oh my god. Oh my god.

Richard: (cups Francine's face to look at him) Hey, hey look at me, Francine. Look at me.

Francine: (sobs) I don't wanna die, Richard. I don't wanna die.

Richard: You're not gonna die. You're not gonna die. I promise, I won't let anything hurt you, Francine. But you gotta be strong. You gotta be strong for your baby sister, alright? If you can't stay strong for Mina, she won't have a fighting chance. She needs you, babe. She needs her sister to be strong.

Francine looks into Richard's eyes. She finds strength in him and his words. She knows she has to take care of Mina with her life, and the only way to do that now is to be strong. Richard kisses Francine's lips, and he matches foreheads with her still cupping her face in his hands.

Richard: I promise you, Francine, I'm going to protect you with my life. You just gotta promise me you'll do the same for Mina.

Francine: (nods) I promise.

Richard wipes Francine's tears away with the stroke of his thumbs.

Richard: Good. (kisses her) I love you, babe.

Francine: I love you too, Richard.

They share another passionate kiss, and Joe breaks down as Jenny dies in bed.

Richard: We gotta figure a way out of here.

Francine: We should get to the rooftop.

Richard: (nods) Yeah. But we gotta go with some kinda weapon or something.

Francine: The shower pole.

Richard is glad Francine is back on her own two feet, thinking straight. He runs into the bathroom and takes down the shower pole. He rips the curtains off and holds the metal pole in his hands.

Francine: And a lamp?

Richard: (nods) Yeah. Good idea.

Francine: Joe, you still carry around duct tape?

Joe is too busy mourning Jenny to answer Francine. Francine quickly rummages through Jenny and Joe's belongings, and she finds the roll of duct tape.

Francine: We should cover our arms and legs with blankets and duct tape. In case they try to bite us.

Richard: (smiles weakly) Damn. Good idea, babe.

Richard looks to the bed, and he takes off the blankets and covers under Jenny's body. Francine wraps the covers around Richard's arm as protection, and no one but Mina sees Jenny sit up on the bed looking right at Francine and Richard.

Mina: Jenny?

Francine and Richard look back and are shocked seeing Jenny sitting up. Francine is about to walk to her sister, but Richard stops her.

Richard: That's not Jenny.

Francine: She's...turned into...

Richard: Yeah...Joe, get away from the bed quietly.

Joe looks up and is in shock seeing Jenny sitting up.

Richard: Joe. Get away from the bed now.

Joe: Jenny!

Jenny looks at Joe, and he's frozen seeing her turned into a walker. Jenny crawls in bed over to him, snarling with her mouth open to take a bite out of him.

Richard: Joe!

Richard runs to Joe and pushes him away from Jenny's bite. Francine grabs onto the shower pole, and she sees Jenny walking over to Richard and Joe.

Francine: I'm so sorry, Jenny. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

Francine shoves the shower pole through Jenny's heart, but she's still not dead. Mina screams loudly in shock, and Richard runs to Mina to hold her. He takes her away from the sight to calm her down. Francine drops the shower pole in shock, and Jenny falls to the ground with it. Francine cries as she grabs the lamp and smashes it in Jenny's head, finally killing her as she smashes Jenny's brain to bits. Francine sobs, and banging resumes at their door when the walkers outside the hallway hear Mina and Francine's crying. Richard runs to Francine with Mina still in his arms.

Richard: You have to be quiet, babe. They hear you outside.

Francine puts her hand to her mouth and she watches Richard trying to calm Mina down. Francine then looks at Joe and sees him completely in shock at what she did to Jenny.

Francine: (wipes her tears) Joe, we have to get out of here.

Joe can't hear anything.

Francine: Joe, please. We have to get out of here. We have to get to the rooftop.

Joe doesn't respond. Francine walks to Richard, and she holds Mina for him.

Francine: Talk to Joe. He's not listening.

Richard nods and walks over to Joe while Francine calms Mina down.

Mina: (crying) Why did you do that to Jenny?

Francine: (teary) I had to, baby. Jenny...Jenny wasn't human anymore.

Mina: What do you mean?

Francine: She wasn't alive.

Mina: But she was moving.

Francine: She was, but she wasn't herself. Mina, listen to me, baby. Something...something bad is happening here. But I promise you, I'm going to keep you safe. I won't let anything hurt you. Do you understand me?

Mina: (nods and wipes her tears away) Uh huh.

Francine: But in order for me to protect you, you gotta listen to me. Okay?

Mina: Okay.

Francine: And right now, we have to be very quiet. We need to be quiet or else those things outside will hear us.

Mina: (nods and whispers) Okay.

Francine: Good. That's my girl. That's my good girl.

Francine kisses Mina and watches Richard talking to Joe.

Richard: Joe.

Joe: She killed Jenny. She killed my fiancee, her own sister.

Richard: No. You saw Jenny. She wasn't human anymore, man.

Joe: ...she...she turned...into those things out there...

Richard: Yeah, she did. I'm sorry. I know this must be hard for you, but you have to think about yourself and us. We gotta get outta here. You know that.

Joe: Go where, man? Those things...those...they're out there.

Richard: We got this pole and lamp. We're gonna cover ourselves with anything thick in case they try to bite us. But we gotta try to get to the rooftop. We have to see the layout of the damage to the city.

Joe: You really think that's gonna work?

Richard: If you got a better plan, let us know.

Joe: ...no...we'll do it your way then.

Richard: Alright. Come on, man.

Richard helps Joe onto his feet, and he wraps blankets around Joe's arms and legs with the duct tape. Richard does the same for Francine, and there's no more blankets for Richard. Francine looks around and sees the phone book. She wraps it around Richard's other arm, but his legs are open for attack. Richard takes the pole, and Joe takes the lamp while Francine holds onto Mina. Richard is up front, Francine and Mina are in the middle, and Joe is at the back. They wait a few minutes until they don't hear anything outside. Richard quietly opens the front door and looks around. It's disturbingly empty of walkers, but there are traces of flesh and blood all over the floor. Richard motions for everyone to follow, and they enter the stair shaft. They quietly walk up, and when they're on the 20th floor, there's a walker. Richard doesn't have much room to maneuver with the pole, and the walker walks forth with its mouth wide open. Richard quickly lifts his arm wrapped around the phone book up. The walker bites into the phone book but doesn't touch Richard's flesh because of the thickness of the pages, and he uses the pole to puncture the walker's head. The walker doesn't come off the pole, and Richard tries to shake it off but accidentally causes it to fall down the flights of stairs, making a huge ruckus. They all freeze, and they hear a bunch of snarling approaching. They see walkers coming out through the doors below them, chasing after them.

Joe: Go go go!

They immediately start running up as fast as they can, and as they're about to reach the rooftop, the door to the 28th floor opens in-between the back of Francine and in front of Joe. Joe screams as a walker bites into his protected arm, but there are too many walkers that start biting into his neck and back.

Francine: (shrieks) Joe!

Joe: Go! Just run! RUN!

Richard: Come on!

Richard grabs Francine's hand and makes her continue running. Joe shoves his way past the walkers and follows the family up the stairs. Richard reaches the rooftop door, but it's locked with metal chains on the other side.

Richard: No! No fucking way!

The door can open a crack, and he sees a group of people there on the other side looking at him.

Richard: Hey! Hey, open this door now! Open it now!

3 men approach the door cautiously.

Richard: We have a child with us! Please, open this door now!

Charlie: Come on, help me get these chains off.

Two men run to the door and quickly unravel the chains on the door. Francine looks down the stairs and sees Joe running up to them with walkers chasing behind him. They all run through the door, and the men lock the door shut with the chains once more. The walkers don't make it through, but they try their best to push against the door.

Deana: Those things will push through the door. It won't be long till they get us!

Richard: The city. Is it...

Charlie: Take a look for yourself, kid.

Richard and Francine look out across the rooftop to see the entire city demolished by the walkers.

Francine: This isn't happening...this isn't happening...

Richard: Hey, hey.

Richard cups Francine's face in his hands to look into her eyes.

Richard: It's gonna be fine. I'm still here.

Francine: (gasps) Joe.

Joe falls down and leans against the wall as the people all back away from him, seeing that he's been bit.

Richard: Keep Mina away from him. I'll go talk to him.

Francine watches Richard walking over to Joe, and he kneels down to Joe.

Richard: I'm sorry, man. This is all my fault. It's all my fault.

Joe: No, man-

Richard: It is. I made so much noise after throwing that thing down the stairs. I was so fucking stupid!

Joe: Hey, what's done is done. You can't blame yourself. Look at me, Richard.

Richard looks at Joe, unable to handle two tragic deaths in one day.

Joe: You and Francine...you're gonna be making tough choices. You're gonna have to start making tough choices to stay alive with Mina. No matter how many people you come across, no matter how much you want to help others, your priority is to keep Francine and Mina alive.

Richard: (nods) Yeah.

Joe: It doesn't matter how many of those damned things you gotta kill...or even if you have to hurt another person...you gotta keep them safe.

Richard: (tears up) I will.

Joe: (breathing heavily) I mean it, Richard. You're gonna have to start making tough decisions...and you can't second-guess yourself. You can't blame yourself, you can't doubt yourself. You need to be strong for Francine. She depends on you, man, so you gotta be strong for her, you hear me?

Richard: Yeah.

Joe: Good. Keep them alive. No matter what you have to do, keep them alive.

Richard: (nods) I will.

Joe: ...I want you to do it. I want you to kill me before I turn into what Jenny turned into.

Richard: Joe...

Joe: You gotta get used to killing these things. Start practicing now. Francine already got down her first, right? Now you get one too.

Richard: (uncomfortable) Joe, man...

Joe: Do it. (sighs and groans) I can feel myself slipping away. Grab the damn pole, and do it before I turn.

Richard wipes his tears away quickly, and he walks off to grab the shower pole.

Francine: Richard...

Richard: Just stay back with Mina. Don't let her see.

Francine weeps and makes sure Mina doesn't see. Richard stays with Joe, sitting by his side.

Joe: You're a good kid, Richard.

Richard: (looks at Joe) You're a good man, Joe.

Joe: (looks at Francine and Mina) I'm gonna miss this family. But at least I get to be with Jenny again.

Richard: Yeah. Tell her I said hi.

Joe laughs and coughs out blood.

Joe: Jesus, look at me.

Richard sighs and is quiet.

Richard: You know, I was planning on asking Francine to marry me when we get back to California.

Joe looks at Richard with a weak smile.

Richard: I know it's only been a year, but...she's the one, man. (looks at Francine) I know she's the one. (looks down at his hands and scoffs) But I don't think we're gonna get to California anytime soon.

Joe: Go ahead and do it, man.

Richard: (looks at Joe) You think?

Joe: Hey...life's gonna be full of surprises now. Do what you can today before you have another tomorrow that might get cut short.

Richard looks at Francine talking to the 4 men and woman on the rooftop with them.

Joe: (weakly) She's a beautiful girl.

Richard: Yeah, she is. I just...I just wish I could get my ring from my bag. It's back in our hotel room.

Joe doesn't respond, and Richard looks at him. He sees that Joe is dead. Richard sighs and looks up at the sky, trying to hold back his tears. Richard sits with Joe for a while, watching Francine still talking to the people. Richard gets up and holds the shower pole in his hands.

Richard: Bye, Joe.

Richard punctures a hole into Joe's head, and he breaks down. There were just too many deaths for one man to handle.

Francine: Baby...

Richard walks over to Francine, and they embrace one another. Francine is hurt that Richard is sobbing, and she holds him lovingly.

Francine: (crying) Sh. It's okay, babe. It's gonna be fine. We'll be okay.

Richard can't answer. All he can do is sob in Francine's arms like a little boy.

Francine: I love you, Richard.

Richard: (sobbing) I love you, Francine.

Francis: I'm sorry about what happened to your friend, son. But we got a problem here. Those walkers are gonna push their way through the doors before nightfall.

Richard: (wipes his tears and composes himself) I'm sorry. This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for us.

Dennis: You're damned right it wouldn't have.

Francis: Dennis!

Dennis: It's true. These goddamn kids are gonna get us all killed if we don't get a way off this damn rooftop! I told you we shouldn't have helped them! Now we're all gonna die!

The two men start arguing, and Francine hands Mina over to Richard. She takes the blanket off his arm, the blankets off her arms and legs, and the blankets off Joe's arms and legs.

Richard: What are you doing?

Francine: Making a rope.

Deana: What is she doing?

Francine starts tying all the blankets and covers together, making a super long rope. She does a tight devil's knot with the rooftop rail, and she drops the rope down. Everyone looks and sees that it's about a 2 story fall from the end of the rope.

Francine: There. That's our way out of here.

The 4 men and woman look at Francine impressed at her quick-thinking and handiness.

Ronald: You sure that won't break?

Francine: I'm sure. I've been a girl's scout for 11 years. I know how to tie a knot.

Richard: What we should be asking is where we're gonna go.

Charlie: We won't be safe in the city.

Deana: The woods. They're about 3 miles Southwest of the city.

Richard: Do you know how to get there?

Deana: (glares at Richard) I'm a damn tour guide for this city. Of course I know how to get there.

Francis: Excuse our language, son. We're all a bit jumpy today.

The 4 men, woman, Richard, Mina, and Francine get ready to climb down the rope once it hits nightfall. In the meantime, they all sit around together. They each share their stories about why they're in Atlanta. Charlie, Ronald, and Dennis are all friends from Virginia on a business trip in Atlanta, and Francis is just an old rich man traveling around the country. Everyone looks at Francine because it's now her turn.

Francine: My sister and I were here for a business seminar.

Charlie: You have a sister?

Francine: Yes. She...was bit. Joe, he was her fiancee. And...if you haven't already guessed, Richard's my boyfriend. Mina is my baby sister.

There's still a few hours left until nightfall so Francine lets Mina get some sleep on her lap while Richard sits with her. He watches Mina sleeping, and Francine leans her head on his shoulder. They hold hands.

Francine: Do you think we can make it back to California?

Richard: (looks at Francine) Yeah, we will.

Francine looks down at Mina, and Richard puts his arm around Francine to hold her close.

Richard: I'm gonna protect you with my life, Francine. No matter what I have to do, I'll keep you and Mina alive.

Francine: (looks at Richard with tears) I believe you.

Richard kisses Francine passionately and tries to hide his fear as best he can to help Francine stay strong.

Richard: I love you.

Francine: (smiles weakly) Love you back.

Richard smiles as he looks into Francine's eyes. He knows that what Joe said is true, that Francine depends on Richard for her source of strength. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have stayed strong and think of ways to get out of the hotel room, to think of protection provided by the phone book that saved his life. He looks at Francine, determined to keep her and Mina alive. He just wants to take them back home to California, to keep his promise to Jenny and Joe.

Richard: It's getting dark. We should wake up Mina.


	2. Chapter 2

_Richard is in Staples Center waiting for the Lakers game to start. He has court-side seats with his friends Trevor, Jared, and Lance. Richard and his friends gulp down their beers and relax before the game begins. They watch the players warm-up. Francine enters the stadium and walks to the court-side seats._

_Jenny: Franny, over here!_

_Richard looks up when he hears that name. It reminds him of the word "fanny", and he's curious to see who "Franny" is. Francine smiles spotting her sister and 2 brothers, Philip and Johnny. Francine walks over to her siblings and sits between Johnny, her younger brother, and Richard. Richard is stunned by how pretty Francine is, and he listens to her conversation with her siblings.  
><em>

_Johnny: How was work, Franny?_

_Francine: Damn tiring. I mean, is it so damn hard to make your check deposits on time? And these people are complaining to me that their checks are bouncing. Like, no shit, Sherlock.  
><em>

_Philip: Fun times._

_Francine: (chuckles) I don't know if I can pay attention to this game today._

_Johnny: Dude, don't even, man._

_Francine: I know, I know. I'm just tired. I'm gonna go get a beer._

_Francine leaves her purse and heads over to the food line._

_Richard: Uh, guys, I'm gonna go get another beer._

_Richard leaves his friends quickly and walks to where Francine is standing in line for beer. He stands behind Francine in line, and he glances at her over and over again. There's a deep urge in Richard to strike up a conversation with this pretty girl, but he doesn't know what to say. The entire time standing in line, Richard tries to think of what to say to Francine. It's finally her turn to grab a beer, so she walks up to the cashier._

_Francine: Stone IPA, please...wait...ah, shit! I forgot my wallet!  
><em>

_Richard: Make it two, ma'am._

_Richard hands his card to the cashier, and Francine looks at Richard surprised at such a friendly gesture from a complete stranger._

_Francine: Oh wow, thank you so much._

_Richard: (smiles) No problem. You uh had a long day?  
><em>

_Francine: Can you tell that easily?_

_Richard: Just figured. (puts his hand out) I'm Richard, by the way._

_Francine: (smiles brightly and shakes Richard's hand firmly) Francine. Thanks for the beer, Richard. Hey, I'll get you next time._

_Richard: How about after the game?_

_Francine: Oh._

_Francine feels a little flustered by Richard's boldness, but she's taken by it._

_Francine: (grins) Yeah, sure. You uh, you're the guy who's sitting next to me, right?_

_Richard: Yeah._

_Francine: So, are you here with friends?_

_Richard: Yeah. It's one of my friend's birthday, and he loves basketball. So we all pitched in to get court-side seats._

_Francine: Wow. Generous friends._

_Richard: What about you?_

_Francine: I'm here with my family. We get season tickets on the house._

_Richard: Really? How?_

_Francine: Well my dad owns a share for Staples Center. A huge one, actually. So out of generosity, we get court-side seats for every event here._

_Richard: Damn. That's pretty amazing._

_Francine: Eh, we're all kinda...used to it, I guess._

_The cashier hands the two beers to Francine and Richard. They take it and walk away._

_Francine: Well, I think I'm gonna hang out here for a while. The game's not gonna start for another 20 minutes, and it's way too loud in there. (smiles) You can stay out here with me if you want.  
><em>

_Richard: (grins) Yeah._

_There aren't any chairs anywhere, so the two decide to sit on the bottom of the stairs leading to the 2nd floor._

_Francine: So what do you do, Richard?_

_Richard: I'm studying to be a filmmaker._

_Francine: Ooh, wanna be in Hollywood, huh?_

_Richard: Yeah, maybe one day. What about you?_

_Francine: Ugh, accountant._

_Richard: (chuckles) Don't like the job, huh?_

_Francine: No. I mean, at first I thought I'd like to be an accountant because I'm good with handling my money. But I learned the hard way that not everyone is good at handling their money like me. And tryna handle people's money that's just so...so unorganized and all over the place, it gets me so frustrated. Oh...sorry. I didn't mean to rant on about my job._

_Richard: No no, it's fine. I don't mind._

_Francine: (smiles sheepishly) Aw, thanks, Richard. My siblings don't get me. My sister's a lawyer, my older brother's a bio-engineer, and my younger brother's a chef._

_Richard: Wow, you got a pretty big family._

_Francine: It gets even bigger. I have a baby sister too. She's only 1 and a half._

_Richard and Francine sit on the stairs talking throughout the first half of the game. They don't even realize it's halftime until all the people flood out of the stadium to grab more beers and food. They genuinely enjoy each other's company, and Richard loves listening to Francine talk. She has a very dry sense of humor and she loves to make little witty remarks here and there, the kind of remarks that don't make someone belch out laughing but the ones that get Richard thinking, "Did she just say that?" Richard is hooked onto every single word that comes out of Francine's mouth, and he's so entranced by her charm that he knows he has to make this girl his. She has such confidence when she speaks, and Richard knows he needs a girl like Francine. All he ever wanted was to reach for the stars, and he knows deep in his heart that this girl is his ship to his dreams.  
><em>

_Francine: Oh crap, it's halftime!_

_Richard: Huh, guess it is._

_Francine: Ugh, my family's gonna rip me for this. Wanna go back?_

_Richard: Yeah._

_Francine and Richard head back into the stadium together._

Richard looks down at Francine resting her head on his lap. She's fast asleep with Mina sleeping on her lap. Richard smiles and brushes Francine's hair aside to look at her face. He strokes Francine's cheek gently, remembering the time he first met her. It warms his heart knowing how far they've come together after a year of being together, and he prays that he'll have many more days with Francine even through this apocalypse. Richard looks up at the sky, watching the sun go down. He knows it's about time to leave the rooftop with the group.

Richard: (quietly) Francine, wake up.

Francine jumps awake with fright and on edge, and it makes Mina wake up groggily. Francine starts panicking, and Richard quickly cups her face in his hands.

Richard: Hey hey, it's okay. It's okay. Look at me, Francine. Everything's okay.

Francine: What...(looks around) it's night.

Richard: Yeah. It's time.

Francine hands Mina over to Richard so that he can climb down the rope of blankets and covers with Mina since he's stronger. Mina hangs onto Richard tightly as he climbs down, and he lands safely on the ground.

Richard: You okay, Mina?

Mina: Yeah.

Everyone else climbs down, and Deana leads the way. Richard holds onto the shower pole as Francine holds the lamp in one hand and Mina in her other arm. The group led by Deana walk through the city as quietly as they can in the pitch dark night past the walkers.

Ronald: Shit, I have to sneeze.

Deana: Don't you fucking dare.

Ronald: It's coming. I gotta-

Ronald sneezes with his hand covering his mouth, but even this muffled sound attracts the walkers.

Dennis: Hurry, hurry, get us out of here Deana.

The walkers start nearing the group, and they sprint as fast as they can towards the woods. Francine is slowed down by carrying Mina, and Richard sees this. He grabs Mina from Francine, and Francine throws the lamp away to grab the shower pole from Richard. A walker nears on them, and Francine smashes the pole through its head. The group manages to run into the woods, and they all stop to gather their breaths.

Ronald: Holy shit, we made it-

A walker lunges out through the dark and bites Ronald's neck. Ronald screams in pain, attracting more walkers. Francine quickly kills the walker with the shower pole, and the group looks at Ronald grabbing onto his bleeding neck.

Deana: We gotta go!

Charlie: I'm not leaving Ron!

Dennis and Charlie help Ronald run, and the group flees. They run deep into the woods, and Dennis and Charlie stop when Ronald isn't running anymore.

Dennis: Hey! Hey guys, wait!

The group stops and look back at Dennis and Charlie set Ronald down on the ground. Ronald isn't moving anymore, lying dead still on the grass.

Charlie: Is he...is he dead?

Francine goes on her knees and feels for a pulse on both Ronald's wrist and neck.

Francine: I don't feel a pulse. (looks up at Charlie and Dennis) I'm sorry.

Deana: He's gonna turn.

Charlie: (to Francine) Give me the pole. I'll do it.

Francine hands the shower pole to Charlie, and he looks down at Ronald.

Charlie: Sorry, man. Rest in peace.

Charlie punctures a hole through Ronald's head, and Charlie falls back leaving the pole in Ronald's head. Francine takes the pole out of Ronald's head, and she looks back at Richard and Mina sadly.

Francis: We should set up camp here.

Deana: Here? In the middle of the woods?

Francis: (annoyed) Where else are we gonna go, Deana?

Francine: I agree with Francis. We'll stay up in shifts, make sure no walkers get near us. Then we'll figure out what to do in the morning. (looks at everyone) Agreed?

Everyone agrees. Since it's too dark to walk around the woods, no one ventures out to find food even though everyone is starving hungry. Francine and Richard take the first shift while everyone else tries to get some rest. Mina is resting on the dirt looking up at the starry night sky. She's playing with her fingers above her head as usual, a little routine she does before she falls asleep.

Francine: (rubbing Mina's stomach) Go to sleep, Mina.

Mina: Okay.

Francine continues rubbing Mina's stomach while she and Richard sit back-to-back, looking out at the dark forest.

Richard: You okay, Francine?

Francine: Yeah. You?

Richard: Yeah.

Francine: Richard...I'm so glad I have you with me.

Richard: I'm glad I have you too, babe. You know I love you.

Francine: I love you too.

Richard: (sighs) We'll get through this. I know we will.

Francine: Yeah. I think so too.

After sitting and keeping watch for a few hours, Francine is the first to get sleepy. Richard can feel Francine nodding off behind him. He walks over to Charlie and Dennis, waking them up.

Richard: Hey, guys, wake up.

Charlie and Dennis stir awake with a jump.

Richard: We're getting tired. It's your shift.

Charlie and Dennis sit up, and Richard hands them the shower pole.

Charlie: How long has it been?

Richard: Haven't been counting.

Charlie: Right.

Richard: You guys good to keep watch?

Charlie: Yeah. I'm good.

Dennis: I'm good too.

Richard: Alright. Thanks.

Richard walks balk over to Francine, who's asleep sitting up. Richard nudges Francine gently, and she gasps awake.

Francine: (panics) What?

Richard: (quietly) Let's go to sleep. Charlie and Dennis are keeping watch.

Francine: O-Okay.

Francine lies down next to Mina, and Richard sleeps next to Francine. They sleep on their sides, and Richard puts his arm around Francine's waist to keep her close. Francine keeps her arm around Mina to keep her close.

Richard: (whispers) Go to sleep, Francine. I'll be here when you wake up.

Francine: Okay. (looks back at Richard) I love you.

Richard: Love you too.

They share a quick kiss, and Francine closes her eyes and rests.

_The family spot Francine walking back to their court-side seats with Richard._

_Jenny: There you are! Where the hell were you?!_

_Francine: I was just talking with Richard. Richard, this is my family. That's my sister Jenny and my brothers Johnny and Philip._

_The siblings all greet Richard, and he greets the siblings._

_Johnny: So you're one of my sister's friends?_

_Richard: Well, we actually just met here._

_Francine: We were waiting in line for a beer, and I forgot my wallet so he bought one for me._

_Johnny: (suspicious) Huh._

_Philip: So Richard, (takes out his wallet) guess my sister owes you some money for the beer, huh?_

_Philip hands Richard a 10 dollar bill._

_Philip: There you go, man._

_Francine: You don't have to do that, Philip. I'm gonna buy Richard a beer later.  
><em>

_Philip: Later? What, like later tonight?_

_Francine: Or some other night._

_Philip: (to Richard) Just take it, man. It's fine._

_Francine: Stop, Philip._

_Francine shoves the money away from Richard and glares at her brother. Jenny can see her sister needs some help and saving.  
><em>

_Jenny: So Richard, you live around here?_

_Richard: No, I'm actually from Canada._

_Jenny: Oh wow, Canada! So what brings you here to LA?_

_Richard: It's my friend's birthday, so we all pitched in for his airplane ticket and these seats._

_Jenny: Wow, he's lucky to have friends like you. Anyways, our family's having a barbeque tomorrow for lunch. You and your friends should come over._

_Francine: (to Jenny) Really?_

_Jenny: Yeah. Our family's barbeque is known throughout the neighborhood. You gotta come over and try it. I guarantee you and your friends will love it._

_Richard: Uh...wow, that's real generous of you, Jenny. Yeah, yeah that sounds great._

_Jenny: Great! So why don't you give Francine your number, and she'll text you our address and the time._

_Richard: Yeah, sure._

_Richard and Francine exchange numbers, and halftime is over. Richard's friends come back and ask him where he was, and Richard glances over to Francine and her family. Simultaneously, Francine is grinning at her sister widely so thankful that Jenny can read Francine's mind at times like this. For the rest of the second half, Richard just hangs out with his friends while Francine hangs out with her siblings. Throughout the rest of the game, they try to catch a glance at the other but it's unsuccessful. Whenever Richard tries to talk to Francine, she's already talking to her siblings and has her back to him. When Francine tries to talk to Richard, he's talking with his friends and she doesn't want to butt into their conversation. But they can't stop thinking about each other the entire time. When the game ends, they all stand up to head their separate ways home. Francine looks back at Richard, and he smiles sheepishly as their eyes lock in contact.  
><em>

_Francine: (smiles shyly) Hey._

_Richard: (smiles sheepishly) Hey._

_Francine: So you'll make it tomorrow?_

_Richard: Yeah._

_Francine: (smiles) Great. So uh, I'll see you then._

_Richard: (nods) Yeah._

_Richard watches Francine walk away with her siblings...After the long night, Jenny and Francine prepare for bed in their home. They share a room together in their parents' mansion, who are gone for 3 months on vacation. Francine hops in bed and sighs thinking of Richard.  
><em>

_Jenny: So, that guy really likes you, Franny._

_Francine: Really? You think so?_

_Jenny: Yeah. It's so obvious. I can recognize that kind of look anywhere._

_Francine: The kinda look Joe had when he met you?_

_Jenny: You know it._

_Francine laughs and her phone beeps. She looks at it and sees that it's a text from Richard._

**_Richard: Hey. Got your address and the time for tomorrow.  
><em>**

**_Francine: Great! It won't be a bother for you, right?_**

**_Richard: Not at all :) I'm glad your sister invited me and my friends. I'm excited for tomorrow_**

**_Francine: Me too! I'm real glad I got to meet you today._**

**_Richard: Yeah, me too. :)_**

_Francine sighs.  
><em>

_Jenny: What is it?_

_Francine: Nothing. I just wrote to Richard that "I'm real glad I got to meet you today" and he just wrote back "Yeah, me too" with a smiley face._

_Jenny: And?_

_Francine: Well...I don't know. It's just...kinda short, you know?_

_Jenny: (rolls eyes) Ugh, shut the hell up, Franny._

_Francine: You don't think it's a big deal?_

_Jenny: Don't be one of those girls, Franny, or you'll drive him away._

_Francine: The way I did to Scott?_

_Jenny: (looks at Francine) No, no babe. You know I didn't mean it like that._

_Francine: Yeah, I know. I'm sorry. I'm just being a bitch right now._

_Jenny: Just go to sleep, Franny. You can talk to Richard tomorrow._

_Francine: (sighs) Alright._

_Francine puts her phone away and falls asleep with a smile on her face._

Francine stirs awake and sees Mina still asleep. It's the crack of dawn, and Francine looks up at the dark sky. She feels Richard's heavy arm over her waist, and she gently crawls away to stretch her legs. She glances over and sees Francis and Deana, who are supposed to keep guard, asleep. Francine chortles and shakes her head. As she's stretching her legs and arms, Francine hears faint whimpers through the woods. She freezes, afraid of what it might be. As she listens harder, she can hear that they sound like whimpers for help. Francine looks back at Richard and Mina, but her curiosity gets the best of her. She walks quietly into the woods by herself, making sure to be dead silent. She hears the faint whimpers getting louder, and she knows it has to be an animal's whimper. Francine follows the whimpers to a bush. She parts the bush in half with her hands, and she gasps seeing 3 little puppy wolves alone whimpering.

Francine: Oh, look at you.

Francine cautiously reaches out to the wolves, and they look up back at her cautiously.

Francine: I won't hurt you, babies.

The brown colored wolf pup sniffs Francine's hand, and it starts licking her hand. Francine smiles and is about to pick up the brown pup when she hears footsteps behind her. She gasps and turns around afraid, but then she sees that it's Richard holding Mina in his arms. He was clearly worried that Francine had disappeared from camp when he woke up, and he couldn't take the chance of leaving Mina alone with the rest of the group sleeping.

Richard: (growls) Goddamn it, Francine. Do you know how (tries not to curse)...I was so goddamn worried that you were hurt.

Francine: I'm sorry, but look here. Come here, Mina. Look.

Richard puts Mina down, and Mina walks over to Francine to peer down at the bush.

Mina: (gasps) Oh, they're so cute.

Richard looks to see the baby wolf pups.

Richard: Are those...wolves?

Francine: Yeah. I heard them whimpering, so I came and found them. I don't know where their parents are.

Mina: Maybe they got eaten by the monsters.

Francine: Yeah, maybe. Here, why don't you try and hold one?

Richard: Francine, I don't think that's a good idea.

Francine: Oh come on, Richard. They're just pups.

Francine holds the wolf who's fur is white as snow. She puts it in Mina's arms, and Mina adores the wolf pup. Francine holds the gray wolf pup and makes Richard hold it while she holds the brown wolf pup. The wolf pups rejoice in their arms, and even Richard can't help but want to keep the pups because they're so adorable.

Richard: What if their parents come back and find them missing?

Francine: No, I don't think so. I...I have a feeling their parents aren't coming back.

Richard: Just a feeling, huh?

Francine: (smiles) Yeah. Let's keep them.

Richard: Are you serious, Francine?

Mina: Oh please, I wanna keep them, Richard.

Francine: Yeah. C'mon, Richard. Let's keep them. They're so cute. Besides, we can't just let them live on their own out here. They'll die from starving or get eaten by the walkers.

Mina and Francine: Please, Richard.

Richard looks at the sisters and sighs. He looks at the grey wolf pup in his arms, and it looks up at him with beading eyes. It melts his heart, and he gives in.

Richard: (sighs) Fine.

Francine and Mina: Yes!

Mina: (looks at her white wolf pup) I'm gonna name you Faron.

Francine: I'm gonna name mine Nayru. (to Richard) What about you? What're you gonna name your wolf?

Richard: (looks at his pup) Uh...(shrugs) how about Eldin?

_Richard arrives with his 3 friends Trevor, Jared, and Lance to Francine's home. They're completely amazed at the grandiose mansion before them._

_Jared: And uh, you said this chick's dad owns a share in Staples Center, right?_

_Richard: (looking with awe at the exterior of the mansion) Yeah._

_Lance: Dude...you scored way too big, Richard._

_Trevor: Yeah, man. This girl is way out of your league._

_Richard: Shut up._

_Richard walks up to ring the doorbell. The sound of dogs barking ring through the backyard. Philip opens the door and sees Richard and his friends._

_Philip: Hey, 'sup man._

_Richard: Hey Philip. These are my friends Trevor, Jared, and Lance._

_Trevor, Jared, and Lance: Hey._

_Philip: Hey. Come in.  
><em>

_The 4 friends enter the mansion, and they're in even more awe at the beautiful interior designing of this magnificent home._

_Philip: Everyone's in the back._

_Philip leads the guys to the backyard, and there they see a German Shepherd, a Doberman, a Saluki, and a Dalmatian._

_Francine: Richard!_

_Richard's heart pounds hard in his chest hearing his name being called out by Francine._

_Richard: (smiles) Hey Francine._

_Francine hops over to Richard and gives him a light hug. Richard introduces his friends to the family, and Francine introduces her family to Richard's friends. Jenny and Francine quickly make the guys feel at home. Jenny introduces her boyfriend, Joe, to Richard and his friends too. The guys all sit around the table while Johnny is at the grill. Francine walks over to where baby Mina is playing on the grass. She brings the baby over to the table.  
><em>

_Francine: This is my baby sister, Mina. Mina, can you say hi?_

_Mina waves her hand with a goofy grin on her face. The guys smile and coo at the baby._

_Richard: (smiles) She's so cute._

_Jenny: Takes after me._

_Philip: Ugh, shut up._

_Joe: (makes a jokingly threatening fist to Philip) Hey!_

_Philip: (defensive) My bad. My bad._

_Trevor: You guys got a lotta dogs._

_Philip: Yeah, we're a big dog family._

_Joe: So, you guys were in LA only for the game?_

_Richard: Well, there's also a concert we're checking out tomorrow.  
><em>

_Philip: Above and Beyond?_

_Guys: Yeah!_

_Lance: You goin' too?_

_Philip: Nah, I got work._

_Richard: (to Francine) What about you?_

_Francine: Work too._

_Trevor: You can't get outta work for one day?_

_Francine: Mm well...I mean, I don't even have a ticket to go._

_Jared: We can all pitch in and buy you a ticket._

_Francine: (smirks) Really? You'd do that for me?  
><em>

_Jared: Yeah! I'm sure (looks at Richard) Richard really wants you to go._

_Francine: (smiles sheepishly) No, I feel bad. It's probably really expensive now anyways._

_Lance: We can all pay 1/4 of the ticket. I'll look up how much they are right now._

_Lance looks up the tickets online, and his mouth drops._

_Francine: How much is it?_

_Lance: It's 785 dollars._

_Everyone: Whoa!_

_Francine: Jesus Christ, man. For one ticket?_

_Lance: Let's see, divide that by 4 that's...about 190 dollars for each of us._

_Trevor: Jared can pay more cus he's the richest out of all of us._

_Francine laughs._

_Lance: Yeah! C'mon Jared, do this for Richard. Just pitch in 230 dollars or something._

_Jared: Dude, are you kidding me right now?_

_Jared looks at Richard, and Richard just shrugs with a smile._

_Trevor: Yeah, man. Remember what happened with Alice? Remember what Richard did for YOU?_

_Jared bites his lips and hangs his head down to think._

_Jared: Uh...yeah. Yeah, alright, fine._

_Francine: (grins) Really?_

_Trevor: Alright, that's settled then! We'll get you your ticket, Francine._

_Francine: Wait, (to Jared) so you're really gonna pay 230 bucks for me to attend this concert with you guys?_

_Jared: (looks at Richard) Anything for my boy._

_Francine: (smirks) Alright, you can't go back on your word, okay?_

_Jared: (laughs) I won't, I won't. I promise.  
><em>

_Francine: No, I mean it. These are all my witnesses. You're gonna pay 230 bucks for my ticket, alright?  
><em>

_Jared: I will, I swear.  
><em>

_Francine glances at her family and smiles as if she's telepathically communicating with them. Richard notices this and keeps his eyes on Francine.  
><em>

_Francine: So how are you guys getting there? Where is it, anyways?_

_Richard: It's at Vegas._

_Francine: Ooh, Vegas!_

_Richard: Jared's driving. He's borrowing his uncle's car._

_Francine: Wait, wait. So you're gonna pay extra for my ticket AND drive your uncle's car for us? Wow, you're really putting a lot into this, huh Jared?_

_Jared: Yeah well...I mean, it's no big deal._

_Francine: So gas will be about 40 dollars per person though. You sure you wanna spend 270 on me?_

_Jared: (thinking) Uh...well, uh, yeah. No wait, you know what? 230 is way too much, man. I'll spend 210 at most._

_Francine: Wait, but you just said a minute ago that you'll pay 230 for my ticket._

_Jared: No-  
><em>

_Francine: (raises eyebrow) No?_

_Jared: Uh...well, yeah, I did but..._

_Richard glances at the family and he sees them all smiling. Richard knows that Francine purposely trapped Jared, and it amuses him. He sits back on his chair and watches Francine going at it, attracted by such playful aggressiveness._

_Francine: You guys are all my witnesses. Remember Jared said he's paying 230 for my ticket? And he promised he wouldn't go back on his word, right?_

_Trevor: (hits Jared in the chest) Yeah, man. Don't go back on your word._

_Jared: (glares at Trevor) Dude, what the hell...(to Francine) look, I'll pay 220, how about that?_

_Francine: No way. You PROMISED me 230, remember? Who here remembers Jared promising me 230 bucks for my ticket?_

_Everyone raises their hands, and Jared scratches his head not knowing how to come back with a reply. Trevor and Lance laugh at Jared turning bright red getting caught trying to go back on his word. Richard smiles and shakes his head._

_Francine: (laughs) Aw, I'm just kidding, Jared. I'm teasing you. I can't go to the concert anyways._

_Lance: Aw really? It'd be so much fun if you came._

_Francine: I can't get outta work. But you guys are gonna have a lot of fun._

_Francine looks at Richard and catches him looking at her with a big smile on his face. She smiles shyly and tucks her hair behind her ear looking at her sister. Jenny smiles back at Francine as she and Joe are holding hands. The dogs all surround Johnny as he's working on the grill, and Francine whistles for the dogs. They all immediately run to their table wagging their tails happily._

_Francine: Wanna see something?_

_Richard: Sure._

_Francine gets up and gets into a Wild Wild West pose. She walks with a badass cowboy swagger towards the dogs while whistling the tune. Richard smiles watching Francine. He can't help thinking that this girl is a truly special girl and that he wants to make her his girlfriend before he leaves for Canada.  
><em>

_Francine: (Western accent) This here's mah rackin-sackin town, partner._

_Francine pretends to get out two guns with her fingers and she points her left hand gun to the Dalmatian and her right hand gun to the Doberman._

_Francine: Bang! Bang! (points to the Saluki and the German Shepherd) Bang! Bang!_

_The dogs all bark and whimper, and they fall on the floor and roll over playing dead. They stay like that for 5 seconds, and the guys laugh impressed by how well-trained these dogs are. The dogs then jump back onto their feet, and Francine throws them treats._

_Lance: That was impressive._

_Jared: Damn, your dogs are well-trained._

_Philip: Hey, how about some music guys?_

_Philip turns on the boombox, and hip-hop comes blasting on. Philip gets up to grab a beer, and he decides to play with Mina on the grass. He whistles, and Mina looks up at him. Philip starts doing some dance moves, and when he's done he points at Mina. Mina laughs and jumps on her feet. She circles around clapping out of beat, and she loses balance and falls on her butt protected by a diaper. The guys all laugh at how cute Mina is. Philip does some more moves while Mina watches, and she watches him with a look of bewildered astonishment. When he's done, he points at Mina again. She gets back on her feet and walks in circles clapping her hands with a goofy grin. She then stretches down to touch her toes like a dance move and lifts her arms in the air like a Y._

_Richard: (laughs) Oh my god, she's so adorable._

_Even Francine is impressed at Mina's dance moves. She whistles, and Mina looks at her. Francine starts doing popping MJ moves as she slides out of her chair, and she glides over to Mina smoothly._

_Trevor: (to Richard) Damn, she's got moves too._

_When Francine is done with her bit, she points at Mina. Mina bends forward and back as if trying to copy Francine's wave moves, and the guys all laugh at Mina's attempt at a wave. When she's done, she points back at Francine with a goofy grin. Francine laughs and holds Mina in her arms, kissing her baby sister._

_Francine: Oh, I love you so much, Mina._

_Mina just laughs, ticklish from Francine's kisses._

Francine watches Mina playing around with her new wolf pup pet, Faron. She and the 3 wolves are rolling around on the ground playing together while the group compose themselves from their first night out. They all sit around a circle while Francine keeps Mina at an eye's distance.

Dennis: So where do we go now? What do we do?

Charlie: I'm hungry.

Deana: Me too.

Francine: Well, if there are wolves out here then there should be other kinds of animals, right?

Francis: Yeah, like deers or rabbits or something.

Dennis: (to Francine) You know how to hunt, Girl Scouts?

Francine: No, but Richard does.

Richard: Yeah, with a _gun_.

Deana: (annoyed) We don't _have_ a gun.

Francine: (to Richard) What can we do?

Richard: I can only think of one way to hunt here without the proper weapons. When we spot an animal, let's say a deer, the group has to split in two. One group goes behind the animal to scare it, try to make it run forward towards the other group. When it's close enough, the other group will kill the animal with the shower pole. Just bash it until it's dead.

Francine: (nods) Sounds like a plan to me.

Francis: Yeah, me too.

Charlie: I'm in.

Dennis and Deana also agree. The group continue moving on forward with the 3 wolf pups, and lo and behold they spot an adult deer munching on the grass far ahead. Francine, Richard, and Francis group off while Dennis, Charlie, and Deana make the other group. Mina stands behind Francine with the 3 wolf pups looking at the deer. Dennis, Charlie, and Deana scare the deer by popping out of the bushes, and it runs right towards Richard, Francine, and Francis. With all his might, Richard knocks the deer back with the shower pole and the deer trembles from the shock. Richard is shocked, imagining how much pain the deer must be in to have been bashed in the head with the metal pole.

Francine: Richard.

Richard looks at Francine, and he knows he has to finish killing the deer so that they can all eat. Richard beats the deer to death, letting go of all the restrictions in his head about killing an animal so cruelly and barbarically. Richard takes a step back when he knows the deer is dead. He's covered in the deer's blood splatter, and Francine wraps her hands around Richard's arm. Richard takes a step back, panting from the beating. Everyone stares at the dead deer bleeding profusely from the beating and bashing.

Francine: I'll start the fire.


	3. Chapter 3

_Francine answers the door, and she smiles seeing Richard there._

_Francine: (excited) Hey!_

_Francine hugs Richard, and he hugs her back happily. His heart beats in his chest rapidly, so happy that Francine is as excited to see him as he is to see her.  
><em>

_Francine: Come in, come in._

_Richard steps into Francine's house._

_Richard: Where's the family?_

_Francine: Mina's at daycare, Jenny's with Joe, and Philip and Johnny are out buying groceries. So, how was the concert?  
><em>

_Richard: It was awesome. I really wish you could've come with us._

_Francine: Aw, me too. How come the guys didn't come with you?_

_Richard: They're all dead from the trip. I dropped them off at the hotel and just came straight here._

_Francine: (smiles) I'm glad you did. You hungry?_

_Richard: Yeah, a bit._

_Francine: Alright. Take a seat and I'll make you a sandwich._

_Richard: Thanks Francine._

_Richard sits on the living room couch and watches TV while Francine fixes up a quick sandwich. She takes out a cold beer and hands them over to Richard._

_Richard: (smiles) Thanks._

_Richard notices the family portrait on the wall and all the other photos. He notices one that shows a very young Francine with her girl's scout uniform.  
><em>

_Richard: Is that you?_

_Francine: Oh, yeah. I think I was 10 or around that age._

_Richard: You were a pretty girl back then too, huh._

_Francine: (grins) If that's what you think._

_Richard: So what do you do in girl scouts?_

_Francine: Sell cookies._

_Richard: (laughs) That's it?_

_Francine: (chuckles) No. We do boring stuff. Like make fires and stuff like that._

_Richard: So if you were lost in a forest or something, you'd basically know how to survive, right?_

_Francine: Well, I'd know how to make a fire. But I mean, I don't know how to hunt or anything like that. It's not my thing.  
><em>

_Richard: Hunting is actually pretty fun once you know what you're doing._

_Francine: You hunt?_

_Richard: Yeah. I go with my dad. We only go when it's the season, like elk season or deer season._

_Francine: And wabbit season?_

_Richard: (grins) Yeah. And duck season._

_Francine: (giggles) Wow. So do you use a gun or like wrestle them with your bare hands?_

_Richard: (chortles) Yeah, we put on our boxing gloves and take 12 rounds 2 minutes each._

_Francine: (grins) Yeah? What's your score?_

_Richard: Undefeated champion._

_Francine: (raises eyebrow) Oh really?_

_Richard: Yeah. Cus I know how to pick my fights._

_Francine: You don't just fight the wittle wabbits, do you?_

_Richard: And the (Daffy Duck imitation) **despicable** ducks._

_Francine laughs, loving how she and Richard click so easily. They love to bounce off one another, going tit-for-tat._

Francine: Watch closely, alright?

Richard and Mina are peering over Francine's shoulder, watching her make a fire with twigs and branches. Francine starts the fire, and she fans the fire to make it bigger.

Francine: You got it?

Richard: I think so.

Francine: Remember, you gotta set it up tightly. You have to be patient with how you make it.

Richard: (nods) Alright.

Dennis and Charlie set up the deer above the fire. Everyone sits around the fire, watching the deer meat cooking. Richard feels a scratch on his leg, and he looks down to see Eldin looking up at him with beading eyes again. He picks up the wolf, and the wolf is so small it can fit in the palm of his hand.

Richard: They must've been born just a few days ago. They're so small.

Francine: (holding Nayru) I wonder how big they'll get.

Richard: Definitely a lot bigger than Mina on her feet.

Francine: Maybe it'll protect her when they get older together.

Richard: Yeah. Maybe.

Richard smiles seeing the wolf curl up into a ball in his palm, eyes drooping from being so sleepy.

Francis: So how are we gonna cut the deer?

Dennis: No one has a knife on them, or anything sharp?

No one does. Francine walks off and looks around the floor searching for something. Richard keeps a close eye on Francine while Nayru follows behind Francine watching her. She then gets on her knee and picks up a flat piece of rock. Francine inspects it and dusts the dirt off of the rock. She walks back to the circle.

Francine: We can try to use this. So...who wants to do it?

Deana: Let the hunter do it.

Francine looks back at Richard, but she can see he's still traumatized by how brutally he killed the deer.

Francine: I'll do it. Get the deer away from the fire.

Dennis and Charlie move the deer away from the fire and keep it hanging on the branch contraption. Francine takes in a deep breath as Mina watches attentively. Francine stabs the deer meat with the rock and she starts cutting away.

Francine: Alright, since Richard was the one who killed it, he'll get the first piece.

Richard walks over and grabs the deer meat Francine cut. He takes a big bite out of it, and everyone looks at him.

Francis: So? How's it taste?

Richard: Tastes worse than beef.

Dennis: Beef is good.

Francine: Richard's a pescatarian.

Dennis: Oh.

Francine continues cutting pieces of the deer for everyone, and she gives a good chunk for Mina and herself. The group eats quietly, and Francine sees Richard look as if he's about to puke.

Francine: Babe, you okay?

Richard: Yeah. Just...disgusted.

Francine: I'm sorry you had to kill it like that, babe.

Richard: We had to eat.

As the group fill their stomachs with the deer meat, there are left overs. Richard takes the deer down, and the 3 wolf pups immediately lick the deer. Francine realizes the pups don't have mature teeth yet to bite into the deer. She cuts a piece of meat and chews on it. She regurgitates it for the pups, and they eat it. Richard watches Francine feeding the pups like this, surprised she's this dedicated to taking care of them.

Charlie: Where did you find those wolves?

Richard: In the bushes near here.

Dennis: What if their parents come looking for them?

Francine and Richard eye one another.

Francine: I don't think their parents are gonna do that.

Dennis: Why? (angry sarcasm) Did you find them and ask if they wanted their pups back?

Richard glares at Dennis, getting heated up at the way Dennis is talking to Francine.

Francine: (glares at Dennis) These pups were born probably just a few days ago judging by their size. A mother wolf _never _leaves her pup alone in the wild when they're that young for anything. The fact that they were alone, the parents are gone.

Deana: So you're a wolf expert too, huh?

Francine: I know a thing or two about canines.

Francis: So, what do we do now?

Richard: We need to find water. A river or something. Do you know any around here, Deana?

Deana: No, I only know the city, not the woods.

Richard: Then we gotta start looking for one or we'll dehydrate.

Dennis: How are we gonna protect ourselves? We only have this shower pole.

Richard: Find anything you can use. Like this branch, something that'll keep those things a safe distance from you when you kill it.

While Francis, Dennis, and Charlie look for a long thick branch to use as a weapon, Deana grabs the shower pole.

Deana: Let me use this.

Francine: (sternly) That's ours.

Deana: Please, you two have each other. But no one has _my _back. I can't just use a stick. It'll break. Just let me use this pole.

Francine: (firmly) That's ours.

Deana: Please, I need to use this.

Francine: Give it back now!

Deana: No!

Francine takes a step forward, but Deana swings the pole. Richard quickly pulls Francine back to him before she could get hurt by the pole.

Charlie: Jesus, Deana. Put that pole down before you hurt someone.

Francis: Deana, just find a damn branch and give the pole back to Francine.

Deana: No! No, I'm keeping this!

It's as if Nayru can feel Francine's disdain for Deana. The little pup runs up to Deana and starts barking angrily at her, snapping its immature teeth threateningly.

Deana: Shut it up. Shut it up!

Francine can see Deana is distracted by Nayru, so she takes this moment to lunge at Deana. Deana screams as she's tackled down by Francine, and Francine punches Deana in the face with one hard swing. She grabs the pole away from Deana and gets back on her two feet. All 3 pups growl, and everyone is completely still and silent except for Deana.

Deana: (furious) You punched me in the face, you bitch!

Francine: (looking out at the trees) Shh.

Deana: (gets on her feet) Don't you tell me to be quiet! You stupid bitch!

Francis: Shut the _hell_ up, Deana!

The snarling of walkers get louder as the wolf pups continue to bark and howl angrily.

Richard: Everyone, hide!

Francine hands Richard the shower pole, and she grabs Mina in her arms.

Mina: Wait, the puppies!

Francine sees the 3 pups take their ground, continuing to bark and howl at the oncoming walkers. The entire group hides behind bushes and trees, and they see a hoard of walkers walking through their campsite.

Mina: (whispers) The puppies.

Francine: Sh. They'll run away. They'll be fine.

The group watches as the walkers walk right past the 3 barking pups as if they're not even there. Francine and Richard watch this with wonder. This hoard of walkers is the biggest anyone has yet seen, and it frightens Francine. Richard holds Francine in his arms as she holds Mina in her arms. The walkers finally clear from the campsite, and Richard takes a step out first. He looks around and sees that the coast is clear. The 3 pups run to Francine, Richard, and Mina quietly. The rest of the group comes out of their hiding spots.

Francis: Did you see that shit?

Francine: (looks at Mina petting the wolf pups) Yeah. They walked right past the wolves as if they weren't even there.

Francis: No, I'm not talking about that. There were over 20 of those things.

Francine: Oh, right.

Francis: We gotta get outta here, guys. Fast.

Richard: (nods) Yeah. Everyone ready?

Deana: W-Wait...I need something.

Dennis hands Deana his branch, and he finds another branch for himself.

Deana: Thanks, Dennis.

Dennis: Yeah. Let's get moving.

_Richard and Francine walk side-by-side towards the beach. They walk along the pier, and it's nearly time for the sun to set. They sit at the edge of the pier, their legs dangling over the ocean._

_Richard: Is this some kinda exclusive beach or something?_

_Francine: Yeah. Why do you ask?_

_Richard: Cus there's barely anyone here. Kinda odd for a beach._

_Francine: Yeah. Only community members are allowed in. The only reason the guard up front didn't ask for my ID is because he knows me._

_Richard: I can't believe you live this close to the beach. It's almost literally like your backyard._

_Francine: It's nice here, isn't it?_

_Richard: Yeah._

_Francine: I like to come here to think. You see that boulder there?_

_Francine points to a large boulder embedded in the ocean near the shore._

_Francine: That's my favorite spot._

_Richard: Why don't we go there?_

_Francine: You get pretty wet though._

_Richard: I don't mind. Let's go._

_Francine and Richard walk on shore, and Francine climbs up onto the top of the boulder. She puts her hand out and helps Richard. They sit right next to each other, bodies touching so that they both can fit on the boulder. Francine links arms with Richard, and he moves his hand to intertwine his fingers with hers. Francine bites her lip with a smile, and she leans her head on Richard's shoulder as the sun starts to set. They both watch the sun setting silently, and when it's gone from sight Richard holds onto Francine's hand tighter.  
><em>

_Francine: I'm gonna miss you when you go back to Canada._

_Richard: I'm gonna miss you too. Do you ever think about visiting Canada?_

_Francine: (looks at Richard with a smile) I wouldn't mind if I have a place to stay._

_Richard: (looks at Francine with a smile) You're always welcome at my place. It's...kinda small though._

_Francine: I don't mind. Do you live alone?_

_Richard: Yeah. You should visit me in Canada sometime. It's beautiful there.  
><em>

_Francine: So I've heard._

_Richard holds Francine's hand with both his hands, and he looks down at their hands._

_Richard: You know...I...really don't wanna leave._

_Francine looks at Richard._

_Richard: I wanna keep seeing you, Francine._

_Francine: (smiles) That'd be nice. I'd like that._

_Richard: I know that it's only been a couple of days since we met. But I really like you._

_Francine: I like you too, Richard._

_Richard: (looks at Francine surprised) Really? You do?_

_Francine: Yeah. The way you like me._

_Richard smiles and he leans in slowly looking into Francine's eyes. Francine leans forward and plants her lips on his lips. Richard lets go of Francine's hand and cups her face in his hands, kissing her passionately. Francine puts her hands around Richard's back, keeping him close as they share their first kiss. Francine feels her heart about to implode in her chest, so she lets go of the kiss. They keep their faces close to each other. They look into each other's eyes, and Francine can't stop smiling. Richard smirks and kisses Francine again sweetly._

_Richard: So you and I...are we...together?_

_Francine: (grins) Yeah._

It's been 3 days since the group has been wandering through the forest without water. Everyone is dehydrated and on edge. They're all sitting around resting after traveling for 2 hours. Francine leans against a tree and Mina rests her head on her sister's lap. Richard sits in front of Francine, weary as hell.

Richard: How are you?

Francine: Thirsty.

Richard: Yeah...

Richard sighs and looks like he wants to break down. Francine can see Richard is tired physically and emotionally from being so on-edge, trying to protect not only her and Mina but the entire group. Francine hugs Richard weakly, and he hugs her back.

Francine: We'll get through this, babe. We just have to stick together. We gotta be strong, right?

Richard: Yeah...

Francine looks into Richard's eyes and sees how weary he is. She kisses him weakly.

Francine: I love you, babe.

Richard: I love you too.

Richard leans his head on Francine's shoulder, and they hold each other as tight as they can. Multiple rounds of gunshots shatter through the silence of the forest, and everyone jumps from fright. Mina wakes up frightened, and Francine holds her baby sister in her arms. It sounds like a gunfire war far up ahead.

Deana: Are those...gunshots?

Richard: Yeah.

Dennis: There must be others in the forest with us.

Charlie: What should we do?

Dennis: What do you mean what should we do? We stay right here away from _that_.

Francis: What if those people are hurt? Maybe they were tryna kill walkers.

Dennis: Or maybe they were shooting other people. That sounded like a goddamn war between two armed sides.

Francis: (looks at Richard) What do you think we should do?

Richard: Me?

Francis: Yeah, I mean...you got good judgment, kid. We all agree on that.

Richard looks at Francine, and she nods.

Richard: Give me a minute to think about it.

Deana: Well you better hurry. Walkers could be heading our way because of that noise.

Richard nods and turns to Francine.

Richard: What do you think?

Francine: ...I think we should go there.

Richard: Why?

Francine: Well, like what Francis said. Those people could be hurt. And maybe they have supplies with them, like water and weapons we could use. Besides, being in a bigger group can only help us. We're barely surviving out here on our own.

Richard sighs quietly.

Francine: You don't think we should go?

Richard: No. Dennis is right. From the way those gunshots were fired, it sounded like a...a duel. Like people shooting at other armed people.

Francine: Why would people who survived this far try to shoot other people? The only things we should be tryna kill are those walkers.

Richard doesn't want to give into Francine's naivety. He knows in his heart that those gunshots were by humans shooting at other armed humans. But he also knows that these people can possibly help them. They had no luck for 3 days finding water. Maybe this is their luck or maybe a warning to stay away.

Richard: I don't think we should go.

Francine: Where else are we gonna go, Richard? We can't find water anywhere. We've been searching for days. I...(tears) I don't know how long Mina's going to last. She's just a baby.

Richard looks at Mina and sees how pale she is resting on her sister's lap. Mina's lips are chapped badly, and she looks terrible. Her usual glow is gone with taut paleness.

Francine: We should just try to check it out.

Richard sighs and thinks about it for a few seconds. He then turns back to the group after making his decision.

Richard: We should go and check it out.

Dennis: What? Are you kidding me right now? Those were goddamn gunshots.

Richard: I know. But maybe these people have things we can use.

Dennis: So we're just gonna go waltzing over there and demand for them to share their supplies with us? Oh yeah, because we totally have weapons that will intimidate them. A shower pole and 3 baby wolves with no teeth. Great.

Richard: If you don't wanna come, then don't. But Francine, Mina, and I are gonna go.

Deana: You're just gonna leave us?

Richard: No, I'm giving you a choice. You can follow us or do what you can to survive without us. But Francine and I...we're going to check out what that was. Who's going to join us?

Francis and Charlie agree, and reluctantly Dennis and Deana also agree. Francine carries her baby sister in her arms as the 3 wolf pups follow by their side. Richard is leading the way.

Mina: Where are we going, Franny?

Francine: We're gonna see if there are other people near here. How are you feeling, baby?

Mina: I'm so thirsty.

Francine: Oh, I know, sweetheart. I'm sorry, but we're trying our best to find water. Just hold on, alright?

The group continues on towards the source of the gunshots through the forest, and after an hour hour walk they come upon a large town with walls surrounding it. They look upon this town with shock, unable to believe that they've come across an actual town. There are no walkers around, but they can see a lot of walker bodies already dead surrounding the town. Richard looks around, and the coast is clear. The group follows Richard towards the town. They're all disgusted by the amount of dead walkers around the place. The gates to the town are halfway open, and Richard pushes it open all the way.

Richard: Holy shit...

The group looks upon the town massacre in horror. The result of the gunfire war was this, a mass casualty of freshly killed people everywhere. Francine scopes the town from where she's standing at the entrance and notices a sign.

Francine: Welcome to Woodbury.

Richard: Everyone, be on guard.

The group moves through the town together, and Richard sees a man on the ground with 6 bullet holes in his body. The man is barely alive, and he looks up at Richard.

Man: Kill...me...

Richard is stunned. Though he's killed walkers before, he never killed a human.

Man: Please...kill me...

Richard moves on, unable to do what the man asks, afraid to do what the man asks. The man watches the rest of the group walking by.

Man: Kill me!

The group moves on.

Deana: (gasps) Look!

Everyone looks to where Deana is pointing. There they see a house with a sink. Deana runs into the house before Richard can tell her to wait. She bursts through the house and sticks her head under the sink. Water comes pouring out of the sink, and Dennis pushes her out of the way to get water for himself. Charlie grabs 4 cups handing one to Francis, Francine, and Richard.

Francis: Get outta the way.

Francis pushes Dennis away and fills his cup with water. Charlie, Francine, and Richard do the same. Francine immediately lets Mina drink the water first, and she grabs a bowl. She fills it with water and sets it down on the ground for the pups to drink. As the group rehydrates themselves, they look around the quaint house.

Charlie: What do you think happened to this town?

Dennis: Those gunshots we heard. That's what happened here.

Deana: But who would kill this many people? And why?

Francis: Bad guys, that's all I need to know.

Richard: We should get out of here soon. Walkers should be nearing.

Charlie: Should we check the place for weapons?

Richard: Uh...sure. Let's meet back in 2 minutes then.

Francine looks around the kitchen, and she opens the drawer. She sees knives of all sizes. Richard watches Francine looking through the cabinets, and she can't find what she's looking for. He then watches her hold up an apron. Francine quickly starts cutting the apron into long pieces of cloth. She then takes out a small knife and uses a piece of the apron to wrap the knife around her right ankle. She wraps another knife around her left arm with another piece of apron. Francine then takes out a meat cleaver as her go-to weapon. She glances back at Richard and sees that he's watching her.

Francine: What?

Richard: Nothing. I just wish we could find a place where we can stay. Where we don't have to be worried about these walkers, some place safe, you know?

Francine: Yeah. Me too.

A terrible shriek sounds throughout the house, and Francine and Richard knows it's Deana. They run upstairs into the room where the shriek is from, and they run in to see a walker on top of Deana eating off her face as Deana is screaming for her life. Dennis, Charlie, and Francis come running in to see the gruesome scene.

Dennis: Ho...

Deana: GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!

Francine uses the meat cleaver and kills the walker. She then pushes the walker off of Deana, and everyone can see that Deana is as good as dead now. Deana is crying her lungs out and looks up at Francine shouting.

Deana: You did this! You did this to me! You brought us here! You killed me!

Deana rolls into a ball and cries her lungs out. Francine stumbles back, and Richard holds her tightly.

Richard: Wait...where's Mina?

Francine looks at him, and they both quickly run downstairs. Mina is nowhere in the kitchen and neither are the pups. Francine runs out of the house and sees Mina standing there with the 3 pups watching a massive hoard of walkers approach the ghost town of Woodbury.

Richard: Guys! Guys get down here now! We have to get out of here! (to Francine) Grab Mina now!

Francine runs and grabs Mina in her left arm while holding the meat cleaver in her other hand. Richard runs into the house and shouts again.

Richard: Guys! Walkers! We need to go!

Dennis: W-What about Deana?

Richard looks at Deana, seeing that she's bleeding out. He doesn't know how long she has, but he knows one thing for sure: she will die and turn into a walker.

Deana: Richard...just kill me. Please, I don't wanna turn.

Richard holds onto his pole tightly. Deana closes her eyes, and with one powerful swing Richard bashes Deana's head in causing her brain to splatter everywhere. Dennis stumbles back from shock and Charlie retches from the sight. Richard turns back to look at the 3 guys.

Richard: (voice cracks) We need to get out of here now.

They all run downstairs, and they're horrified to see walkers coming from the North and South direction, trapping them inside the town.

Dennis: (panics) Holy shit! Holy shit! We're trapped in! We're gonna fucking die! We're all gonna fucking die!

Francine looks back into the house, and she runs into the kitchen. She counts 4 chairs. She whistles, and the guys run into the house.

Francine: We can use these chairs as a shield. You gotta grab this top part here to keep the walkers an arm's length away. And if any get too close, just kill them with a knife.

Dennis: Are you fucking kidding me?! You're telling us to go out there with a wooden chair as a shield when hundreds of those damn walkers are drawing in on us?!

Francine: (angrily) What else are we gonna do? Wait here until they raid this house? This is our only way out of here, and we have to move now before they get through the entrance.

Richard grabs a chair, and so does Charlie and Francis. Dennis grabs his chair too. Francine instructs them to get in a straight line to form a shield-like barrier for all of them. Charlie and Francis are at the outer edge while Dennis and Richard are in the middle. Francine is behind them with Mina and the 3 pups. Everyone runs out a few yards towards the entrance before the walkers can enter the town. They all get in formation, holding up their chairs. Mina clings onto Francine's back so that Francine can maneuver easier with the meat cleaver.

Francine: Hold on tight, Mina. Don't you ever let go.

Mina: Okay.

Richard: Alright. Remember, we gotta stick with the formation. On 3. 1 2, 3.

They all walk in synchrony, left foot right foot left foot right foot.

Dennis: Holy shit, we're gonna make it!

Richard: Hold onto the chairs. Here they come.

The first line of walkers bump against the formation, but the guys keep their stance. The chairs are keeping them a safe distance away from the walkers, and Francine is so relieved her plan is working. But Francis gets out of formation. He's lagged behind when the man from before with 6 bullets to his body, now a walker, grabs onto Francis' leg. The walker takes a big chunky bite out of Francis' leg, and Francis screams in pain. Francis falls to the ground, unable to be helped. A walker comes through the side towards Francine, and Richard quickly gets out of formation to push that walker back. The formation is completely broken, and Charlie is bit on the arm and hoarded by the walkers. Richard, with all his strength, pushes the walkers out of the way, and he and Francine make a sharp turn to run away from the walkers back towards the woods. They run as fast as they can together away from the town massacre. Francine trips and falls to the ground with Mina still clinging tightly onto her. Richard helps Francine back onto her feet.

Francine: Wait.

They stand in silence, panting and hearts pounding. They look around the woods and see that they're alone. No one, not even a walker, is with them. No Francis, no Charlie, no Dennis. It finally hits Francine that the death of their group is her fault. She was the one who convinced Richard to head to town. He listened to her, and now everyone is dead because of her poor decision. Francine helps Mina to the ground and looks up at Richard. Francine bursts into tears.

Richard: Are you hurt? Are you bit anywhere?

Francine: (shakes her head and cries) Francis and Charlie...Deana...they're all dead because of me.

Richard embraces Francine and she breaks down in Richard's arms, unable to handle the guilt of leading everyone to their death sentence. It nearly frightens him seeing Francine so distraught and trembling in his arms like this. He cups Francine's face in his hands and looks into her eyes.

Richard: Francine, listen to me. This is _not_ your fault.

Francine: (crying) This is _entirely_ my fault! I should've listened to you, Richard. You were right.

Richard: Francine-

Francine gasps when she sees Dennis running into them, surviving the town attack.

Francine: (relieved) Dennis!

Dennis quickly lifts his arm with a gun in his hand, pointing it right at Francine. Francine and Richard stand paralyzed in shock, and Mina watches in horror.

Richard: Dennis...

Dennis: (sobbing angrily) Shut up! You...the _both_ of you...it's _your_ fault they're all dead! It's your fault everyone's dead! And now...I'm all alone...Ronald and Charlie...they're all dead because of you!

Richard: (calmly) Dennis, let's just...let's talk about this, man.

Dennis: No! You were the one...(breaks down) you were the one who wanted to go to that goddamn town. And I said...I said we shouldn't! You should've listened to me! They'd all be alive if you just listened to me!

Richard: You're right. You're right, Dennis. We should've listened to you, and I'm sorry. Just...just put the gun down, man. We don't need that right now.

Dennis: It's over, man. Don't you get it? It's over. It's over. We're all dead now.

Dennis shoots 2 bullets at Francine and it hits her between her shoulder and chest. She falls to the ground from the impact. He then shoots Richard and it hits him in the abdomen. Richard also falls to the ground from the impact. Mina bursts into hysterical tears seeing Francine and Richard on the floor after Dennis shot them. Dennis looks at what he's done to Francine and Richard, and he looks at Mina sobbing loudly. Dennis puts the gun to his temple and closes his eyes.

Richard: Dennis!

Without hesitation, Dennis shoots himself. Richard feels sick at what just happened looking at Dennis' dead body, and he crawls over to Francine. She's gasping, shocked that she survived the gunshots. Richard thanks God that Francine is alive.

Richard: (weakly) Francine.

Francine: Richard...

Richard: (winces in pain) Can you get up?

Francine: Y-Yeah. I think so.

Francine slowly gets onto her knees, and Mina runs to Francine.

Mina: (sobs loudly) Franny!

Richard groans and holds onto his abdomen.

Francine: Sh! Quiet, Mina!

Mina puts her hands over her mouth to muffle her sobbing. Francine quickly takes off her jacket and wraps it tightly around Richard's wound, trying to slow down his bleeding. Richard winces in pain again.

Francine: Can you walk?

Richard: Y-Yeah. I think so.

Francine helps Richard onto his feet, and the two look at Dennis' body.

Richard: We need to get away from here. The walkers are probably getting close.

Francine: Here.

Francine makes Richard put his arm around her shoulder, and she winces in pain when he accidentally brushes his hand against her wounded shoulder. Francine and Richard, both bleeding out, continue walking in the forest with Mina and the 3 pups following. They don't make it very far, and they have to stop to rest. Francine and Richard both lean against a tree with their backs, and they're both silent. Francine perks her ears when she hears the sound of faint running water.

Francine: Do you...do you hear that?

Richard: (sits up straight) ...water...

Francine helps Richard onto his feet again, and they all continue walking. Richard, Francine, and Mina manage to make it to a stream nearby, and they drink a lot of water with the pups also.

Richard: We should follow this stream.

Francine: (weakly) To where?

Richard looks at Francine, and he sees how pale she is.

Richard: Mina. Mina give me your jacket now.

Mina takes off her cotton jacket and gives it to Richard. He quickly wraps it around Francine's wounds to try to stop her bleeding. Francine groans in pain when Richard ties it tightly.

Richard: Look at me, baby. Look at me.

Francine lifts her gaze to look at Richard.

Richard: (sternly) You are _not_ going to give up, you hear me? You _can't _give up on me now.

Francine: (weakly) I'm losing too much blood. I don't...(tears) I don't know how long I'll make it.

Richard: No, no Francine, please. Please, you can't leave me. You can't leave me alone. You have to stay with me, alright?

Richard kisses Francine. He helps Francine stand up and with their last bit of strength, the family moves along the stream. After an hour of walking, they come across a clearing through the bushes. Richard, Francine, and Mina walk through the clearing and look upon a large fort-like prison with fenced gates. They can clearly see a man tending to his crops, a few other people killing walkers around the fenced gates, and a bunch of other people doing random chores behind the fenced gates.

Richard: We...we made it...


	4. Chapter 4

Richard: We...we made it...

Richard, Francine, and Mina stare at the people who created a life behind the fenced gates of the prison, a safe distance from the walkers. The 3 forget for a moment that they're just sitting there staring at these people, not even realizing Daryl spots them with his crossbow from behind. He points his crossbow to Francine's head assuming that she and Richard are a couple. By doing this, he can use Francine's life as leverage in case Richard tries to do anything.

Daryl: Don't move.

Richard, Francine, and Mina stay perfectly still from where they are. Francine holds Mina's hand tightly.

Daryl: Slowly turn around.

They all slowly turn around, and Daryl sees that these kids are both wounded badly but the baby is unscathed. They're both pale from losing blood, but Francine looks much worse than Richard.

Daryl: What the hell happened to you two?

Richard: (calmly) We were shot. Please, sir. My girlfriend is losing a lot of blood. You have to help her. Do you live there? Can you get us inside? Is there a doctor there?

Daryl: Give me your names first.

Richard: I'm Richard. This is Francine, and this is her sister, Mina.

Daryl: (glances down at the wolves) Those yours?

Richard: We found them in the forest, and they've been following us ever since. Please. I need to save my girlfriend.

Daryl: Why were you two shot?

Richard: (losing his patience) Sir, please!

Daryl: (intimidatingly with his crossbow) You won't get anywhere _near_ that place unless you start answering my questions. _Why_ were you two shot?

Richard: Because we made a bad decision. We led our group into this town called Woodbury, and...and everyone died there. This guy, Dennis, he was pissed that his friend, Charlie, died there. So he shot us and then killed himself.

Daryl: D'you say Woodbury?

Richard: Yes. We heard gunshots, so we followed the sound to that town. It was a complete massacre there. Look, man. I'm begging you. My girlfriend, she needs help.

Daryl eyes Richard, Francine, and Mina. He looks at the baby girl look up at him with big puppy eyes that melt his heart.

Daryl: (sternly) Get up. And if you try anything funny, I swear I'll shoot the girl where she's standing.

Richard helps Francine up, and Daryl points to them where to go. From behind the fences, Glenn notices Daryl coming back with two adults, a baby girl, and 3 pups following them. Glenn whistles, signaling for Maggie and Carol to distract the walkers so Daryl can get in. Maggie and Carol hit their sticks on the fences to attract the walkers away from the gate. Michionne then runs and unlocks the gate for Daryl and the 3 strangers. Everyone stares at the strangers, surprised that their group is going to get even bigger after the loaded bus that contained the townspeople of Woodbury who didn't want to live under the rule of the Governor anymore.

Daryl: Keep walking.

Richard, Francine, and Mina continue walking with the 3 pups by their side. Rick stops tending to the crops and approaches the strangers while Carl watches from a distance.

Daryl: (to Rick) This is Richard, Francine, and Mina. These two were shot back near Woodbury.

Rick: Woodbury?

Daryl: The girl's losing a lot of blood.

Rick: (eyes Francine and Richard) Glenn. Get Hershel.

Glenn runs into the prison to get Hershel. Francine starts wobbling from the loss of blood. Richard quickly holds Francine in his arms, and they both fall to the ground. Richard starts panicking seeing Francine's eyes starting to droop.

Richard: (holds Francine tightly) No, no baby, please. Stay with me, alright? Stay with me, Francine. They're getting a doctor for you now. (to Rick) Sir, please. I can't lose my girlfriend. She's all I've got holding me together. I need her. I'm begging you to save her.

Rick looks down at Richard begging him to save Francine. It hurts him seeing the look on Richard's face. It reminds him of what he went through when he lost Lori to childbirth. Hershel comes walking out with his crutches, one leg missing. He sees Richard and Francine on the floor.

Francine: (weakly whispers) AB. AB positive.

Richard: (looks into Francine's eyes) Stay with me, babe. The doctor's here, alright?

Rick: The girl lost a lot of blood.

Hershel: What's her blood type?

Richard: A-AB positive.

Hershel: Get her inside. Glenn, get the kit ready for a blood transfusion.

Glenn: Alright. W-Who's gonna be the donor?

Hershel: Anyone. She's a universal acceptor.

Richard: I'll give her my blood.

Hershel: Sorry son, but you're gonna need what little blood you have left in you seeing your state.

Maggie: She can have mine.

Hershel: (nods) Alright then. Let's get her inside.

Richard carries Francine into the prison following Hershel, and he tells Richard to put her down on an empty jail cot. Glenn is preparing Hershel's kit for a blood transfusion while Hershel washes Francine's arm with alcohol to clean it.

Richard: (to Francine) Francine, baby, can you hear me?

Francine looks up at Richard, and her vision starts getting blurry.

Richard: You're gonna be alright, babe. I'll be here when you wake up, alright? Mina's safe here. Just get better.

Francine closes her eyes and drifts off to a deep sleep...

_Jenny, Philip, Francine, and Johnny all walk into the Neonatal Unit in the hospital to look for their newborn sister, Mina. They find the room where Mina is in with the other premature babies. They look at Mina through the large glass mirror.  
><em>

_Francine: She's so small._

_Johnny: She looks fragile._

_Philip: What do you expect? She's 4 weeks early._

_Francine: Do you think she'll be alright? With her heart condition?_

_Johnny: What's mom gonna call her?_

_Jenny: I don't know. She didn't say yet. Oh look! She's yawning._

_The siblings watch their baby sister yawn and drift off to sleep. Francine turns to her siblings._

_Francine: You guys, we are gonna take **such **good care of her. I can already tell._

_The siblings all agree, and the doctor walks up to them to take a look at Mina._

_Doctor: (smiles) She's adorable._

_Jenny: Did our mother tell you what her name is yet?_

_Doctor: Yes. She decided on Mina._

_Siblings: Mina._

_Doctor: I wanted to discuss with you Mina's heart condition, if that's alright with you. I've already informed your mother and father.  
><em>

_The siblings step aside with the doctor._

_Doctor: As you might already know, premature babies are at risk of short-term and long-term effects. Some of the short-term effects are her breathing, which her heart condition isn't necessarily helping with. Mina's been diagnosed with premature supraventricular contraction. It just means that her heart is beating too fast and can cause irregular heart rhythms. It's actually very common and benign, and she won't need any special treatment for it._

_Jenny: But what happens if her heart beats too fast? She's not going to be hurt by it?_

_Doctor: Well, usually PVC's are very benign, so if ever she feels a pain in her chest you can give her an Advil._

_Philip: Just an Advil?_

_Doctor: Yes. It's not a fatal condition. Mina should be alright.  
><em>

_Francine: So you also mentioned that there are long-term effects._

_Doctor: Yes. Some of them are impaired cognitive skills, vision problems, hearing problems, sometimes psychological problems, or just general chronic health issues._

_Siblings: Jesus._

_Francine: But why would her vision and hearing be affected? I mean, the other ones kinda make sense but why her eyesight and hearing?_

_Doctor: Well for the eye, premature babies can't handle the light very well so it can sometimes end up scarring their retina. Hearing is less of an issue because we always check their hearing before we send them home._

_Jenny: Can't you just dim the lights in the room or something?_

_Doctor: Well the nurses need to have light to check on the machines and their vitals. So turning down the light isn't really an option here._

_The doctor can see the siblings aren't taking the news very well by their expression._

_Doctor: Right now we're monitoring Mina 24/7 for her breathing. But when she's able to go back home, we're going to have to evaluate her again to see if she's going to need some treatment for either her heart or some of the long-term effects._

_Jenny: (nods) Is that it, doctor?_

_Doctor: Yes, for now._

_Jenny: Alright. Thank you._

_Doctor: Of course._

_The doctor walks off and the siblings all look back at Mina sleeping soundly._

Richard sits by Francine's side with his wound tended to by Hershel. The blood transfusion is finally finished, and Mina is getting rest on the bunk bed above Francine. Hershel steps outside to talk to Rick and Daryl.

Daryl: How's the girl?

Hershel: She'll survive. And so will the boy.

Rick: Daryl thinks they're harmless. What do you think?

Hershel: Didn't sense any danger around them. Then again, I'm an old man. I did happen to find these knives on the girl, though.

Hershel takes out the two knives that were wrapped around Francine's arm and ankle.

Daryl: Probably just a smart girl.

Rick: Or she could've been sent by the Governor to kill us.

Daryl: I don't remember seeing them in town.

Rick: We didn't meet everyone in town, did we?

Hershel: We can ask them more questions later. I know the boy is distraught. He's deeply concerned for the girl.

Rick: We'll keep guard over them in shifts until the girl wakes up. Then we start getting answers.

Daryl: Fine with me.

_Richard is hanging out with Francine and her family in their backyard after a home-made dinner made by the siblings. They're all drinking beer together and relaxing. Francine gets a phone call, and she glances at the caller ID. Her face drops dark, and Richard immediately notices this. She takes her phone and walks into the living room to answer it privately.  
><em>

_Scott: Franny..._

_Francine: Scott...why are you calling me?_

_Scott: I...I just wanted to see how you were doing._

_Francine: I'm fine._

_Scott: Y-Yeah? Do you...um...(scoffs) I'm, uh..._

_Scott doesn't know how to tell Francine he misses her. Francine is just quiet. Her heart pounds in her chest from the pain of listening to Scott struggle with his words. She knows what he wants to say, but she reminds herself that he was the one who broke up with her._

_Scott: I'm...not doing so well..._

_Francine: Why?_

_Scott: (scoffs) You can't guess why?_

_Francine: Scott..._

_Scott: Franny...Franny, I was...I don't know what I was thinking. I...I can't do this anymore. It was such a big mistake to break up with you. I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?_

_Tears start forming in Francine's eyes, and she can't answer._

_Scott: (voice breaks) Baby, I'm so sorry. I love you so much. I still love you. I've always loved you. I never stopped loving you, baby. I just...I need to see you again. Can I see you again, please?_

_Francine: I don't think that's a good idea, Scott._

_Scott: W-Why? Are you with someone?_

_Francine: Scott, you were the one who broke up with me. You broke my heart when you decided to choose your career over me. I can't...I can't just take you back like this. I won't._

_Scott: (breaks down) Baby please don't say that._

_Francine: I'm sorry, Scott. But you need to move on._

_Francine quickly hangs up, and plops down on the couch. She wipes her tears away, and Johnny enters the living room._

_Johnny: Whoa...Franny..._

_Francine: Sh!_

_Johnny sits by his sister's side._

_Johnny: What happened?_

_Francine: (scoffs) Scott called._

_Johnny: (tone changes) What did he want?_

_Francine: He...wants to see me again._

_Johnny: What? He's gotta be fucking kidding, right?_

_Francine: No...he was...real upset._

_Johnny: You're not gonna see him, are you?_

_Francine: I want to. But I won't._

_Johnny: Good. That fucker doesn't deserve two minutes of your time._

_Francine: Johnny!_

_Johnny: Dude, are you forgetting how much he hurt you when he broke up with you? I won't let him hurt you again or I'll end up beating the shit out of him for real this time._

_Francine sighs._

_Johnny: Besides, you got someone out there wondering who called you. He saw your face when you saw the caller ID.  
><em>

_Francine nods and walks back out to the backyard. She smiles at Richard, but she feels the pain of thinking about Scott again. She quickly walks off to pretend feeding the dogs. Richard walks over to Francine and squats down by her side.  
><em>

_Richard: You know, they already got food in their bowls._

_Francine looks at Richard and smiles weakly._

_Richard: Wasn't a good phone call, huh?_

_Francine: No._

_Richard: Are you gonna be okay?_

_Francine: Yeah, I will be. Hey. Let's play some ball._

_Richard: (smirks) Alright._

_Francine grabs the basketball and checks it to Richard._

_Francine: Get ready to get your ass whooped, son._

_Richard: (scoffs) Shit-talking even before the game begins, huh? Alright, don't mess with the fire if you can't stand Hell's Kitchen._

Francine stirs awake, and she feels a warm hand on her hand. She slowly opens her eyes and sees Richard asleep on a chair holding onto her hand. She can see his wound has been tended to. Francine smiles and weakly squeezes Richard's hand, and it wakes him up immediately. He jumps in the chair, and his mouth drops seeing Francine awake.

Richard: Francine!

Richard falls on his knees and kisses her hand and lips. He almost loses it, and he rests his head on her chest for a bit to compose himself. Richard puts himself together and looks back into Francine's eyes.

Richard: Francine, I was scared you weren't gonna make it.

Francine: (weakly) I find your lack of faith disturbing.

Richard: (grins and kisses her hand) God, I love you so much, Francine.

Francine: I love you too, babe.

Richard kisses Francine again, and Glenn walks over hearing the commotion. Richard and Francine look back at Glenn hiding his smile, seeing how happy Richard is that Francine is alright.

Glenn: Don't worry. Mina's playing with Beth and Judith. (to Francine) So you're finally awake.

Francine: How long was I out?

Glenn: 3 days.

Francine: Jesus. _3_ days?

Richard: Guess you needed the rest.

Francine: (to Richard) And you're okay?

Richard: I'm fine. I'm better now. But these people...they wanna ask us some questions. I've answered what I could on my part. But they wanna ask you some questions too.

Glenn: I'll go let Rick and Daryl know you're awake.

Glenn walks off to let Richard and Francine have their moment.

Richard: They're good people.

Francine: You sure?

Richard: (nods) Yeah. They built something good here. There are kids here too, a little older than Mina.

Francine: How does she like it here?

Richard: She loves it. There's a lot of food and water here, and they got a good system to keep in check the walkers outside from getting in. They even go on supply runs with their cars.

Francine: They've got cars here?

Richard: Yeah. It's a good place, babe. We should think about staying here for a while. You know, before we try getting to California.

Francine: (nods) Yeah.

Rick and Daryl walk into the room.

Richard: I'll be right outside, babe.

Richard kisses Francine again and steps outside. Rick takes a seat while Daryl stands peering down at Francine.

Rick: How's your shoulder?

Francine: Been better.

Rick: So you and Richard are from California?

Francine: Technically he's from Canada. But yeah, Mina and I are from California.

Rick: We have just two questions for you. First, how many walkers have you killed?

Francine: ...I think it was 3. I remember my first one...it was my sister.

Rick looks at Francine for a second quietly seeing the pain on her face of remembering how she had to kill Jenny.

Daryl: How many people have you killed?

Francine: None. I've never killed anyone.

Rick: We have a small counsel here to keep things in order. We've decided yesterday to allow you 3 to stay.

Daryl: With the pups too.

Rick: (nods) With the pups too.

Francine: Wait, you decided this yesterday? Then why did you need to ask me those questions?

Rick: We had to make sure about your story. Richard told us what happened to you three, but we wanted to get your side too. So, how did it first happen to you?

Francine explains to Rick and Daryl what had happened that fateful day. They were at the water park with Jenny and Joe, and when they tried to run Jenny was bit. Everything that had happened that day up until the moment Dennis shot himself. When Francine is done, she can see that Rick and Daryl are satisfied.

Rick: Alright then. We'll send you some food and water to your bed. You should try to get some more rest.

Francine: Thank you. Thank you so much.

Rick: When you're better, you'll need to contribute around here.

Francine: Of course. I saw you had a little garden. I can take care of that.

Rick: Good. We've got some seeds that need to be planted. When Hershel clears you, you can start helping me with those. But for now, just rest and get used to this place as your new home. I know that'll take some time.

Francine: (smirks) Yeah. Thank you. (to Daryl) And thank you, sir, for taking us in. If it weren't for you, Richard and I would be dead. And Mina would've been left all alone.

Daryl: Call me Daryl.

Rick: And I'm Rick.

Francine nods and watches the two men leave. Richard comes back in with Glenn who has food and water for Francine. Richard helps Francine sit up, and he watches her eat. Francine eyes Richard watching her eating.

Francine: What?

Richard: Nothing.

Francine: You know I hate it when people stare at me eating.

Richard: (grins) Yeah.

Francine quickly gobbles the food down because Richard won't stop looking at her. When she's done they walk out of the prison, and Francine sees what she saw the first day she saw this prison: Rick tending the gardens, people killing walkers near the fences, and other people doing random chores.

Mina: Franny!

Francine looks and sees Mina running to her along with the 3 pups. Francine smiles and hugs Mina, unable to carry her because of her wound.

Francine: Oh, my baby. I'm so glad you're alright.

Mina: Franny, this is Beth and the baby is Judith.

Francine: (smiles) Hi, I'm Francine.

Beth: (smiles) I'm Beth. This is Judith.

Francine looks at the baby and smiles.

Francine: Who's baby?

Beth: Rick. And that's his son, Carl. I'll introduce you to everyone. I'm kinda learning the new people here too.

Francine: New people?

Richard: Those gunshots we heard. It was the town and this group. Apparently, some Governor guy was being a dick and people from Woodbury came here the day we got here.

Beth introduces Francine to everyone while Richard already met them all. As they continue walking through the prison, Francine notices the basketball court.

Francine: No way! They've got a court here!

Richard: Yeah. And guess what? I got you something.

Richard runs and takes out a basketball.

Francine: (laughs) No way!

Richard: I knew you'd wanna try it out, so when they ran for supplies yesterday I tagged along and got this for you.

Francine: Oh, you know me so well, babe. I love you so much.

Richard: (smiles) Love you too.

They share a quick kiss, and Francine has to dribble with her left hand. She throws it up, but Richard blocks it.

Francine: Oh ho! You wanna heat me up now, huh?

Richard: (smiles) You ain't got nothing on me, babe.

Beth envies the kind of love Francine and Richard have.

Daryl: Hey kid! Get over here!

Richard: I'll be right back, babe.

Francine: Wait wait. Where are you guys going?

Richard: A supply run.

Francine: What?

Richard: Gotta go. I'll see you soon. Love you.

Richard kisses Francine and runs over to Daryl to help the group on their supply run. Eldin follows Richard, and Richard helps Eldin into the car.

Beth: I wish I had what you and Richard have.

Francine: (smiles) It's not too late. You're so young.

Beth: Yeah, but it's so limited here, you know?

Francine: (laughs) I guess.

Beth: So how long have you two been together?

Francine: A little over a year.

Beth: And you two aren't engaged or anything?

Francine: No. We're just together. (dribbling the ball) We met at a basketball game.

Beth: Really? How did you two start talking?

Francine: Well, we were in line for a beer, and I forgot my wallet. So he paid for my beer. Then we just...hit it off from there.

Beth: Aw. He sounds so sweet.

Francine: (smiles) Yeah, he is. (watches the car driving off) I love that guy so much.

Beth: (giggles) You know, my sister, Maggie, and Glenn are in love too. They met after this world turned upside-down.

Francine: Really? Maggie...she's the one who gave her blood to me, isn't she?

Beth: Yeah.

Francine: (smiles) That was real kind of her, doing that for a complete stranger.

Beth: She said she wanted to do it because of what you and Richard had. He was begging us to save your life, and it reminded her of her and Glenn. She put herself in your shoes, and she just wanted to help.

Francine watches Mina walk off with Faron towards Rick and Carl working on the garden.

Carl: (smiles) Hi Mina.

Mina: Hi. My sister likes gardens.

Carl: Yeah, I heard.

Mina: She makes flowers and tomatoes grow. And green pepper.

Rick: Well good thing she found us. We can use all the help we can get.

Mina: Where did Richard go?

Rick: He went to get some things for us.

Mina: Outside?

Rick: Yes.

Mina: With the monsters?

Rick: He'll be safe. He went with a group of our strongest fighters.

Mina: Okay. I don't want to lose Richard. Or my sister.

Rick: You won't lose them, sweetheart. I promise, we'll keep them safe.

Mina: My sister loves Richard a lot. And he loves her too. I only have them now. Jenny and Joe died. And Francis, Charlie, Deana, and Dennis are gone. But Dennis is a bad man, so I don't care that he's gone.

Rick: Alright, sweetheart. Carl and I have to go back to working, so why don't you go and play with Beth or Carol.

Mina: Okay! Bye!

Carl and Rick watch Mina run off with Faron by her side.

Carl: I hope Judith grows up to be like her. She's so cute.

Rick: Yeah, she is.

Carl: It's kinda weird that those wolves follow them wherever they go. They're like dogs.

Rick: Well, dogs are a part of the wolf family.

Carl: Yeah, I guess...

Glenn drives the car into the ghost town, and Daryl, Richard, Maggie, and Glenn leave the car with Eldin following Richard's side. Daryl and Richard break off with Maggie and Glenn to split up getting materials. Richard notices a jewelry store, and he stares at it.

Daryl: Hey, kid. Focus.

Richard: Can you give me a quick second?

Richard cautiously approaches the jewelry store with his machete in hand and Eldin following him in. He sees two walkers, and he quickly kills them both. He looks at the jewelry case of rings. He's so focused on trying to find the right one for Francine that he doesn't notice a walker behind him. Eldin gives a low growl, growling at the walker. Daryl kills the walker with his crossbow, and Richard's heart pounds as he looks back seeing the walker a few feet away from him on the ground dead.

Richard: Thanks, man.

Daryl just grabs the arrow out of the walker's head. Richard then shatters the jewelry case and grabs a ring that he thinks is perfect for Francine. He kneels down and shows it to Eldin.

Richard: Whaddya think, Eldin? You think Francine'll like this?

Eldin barks and wags its tail happily. Richard puts it in a jewelry box and puts the ring away in his back pocket. The group gathers the supplies they need and drive back. Richard is in the passenger seat with the window wide open. Eldin sticks his head out the window with his mouth wide open, tongue flapping in the wind. Daryl is driving.

Maggie: So how's Francine?

Richard: She's getting better. I think she'll be good in a couple of days. Thank you so much again, Maggie, for helping Francine.

Maggie: Of course.

Glenn: So how did you and Francine meet?

Richard: We met at a Lakers game. She was in line for a beer and she forgot her wallet, so I bought one for her. Then we hit it off from there.

Maggie: Aw. All over a beer.

Richard: (chuckles) Yeah.

Glenn: Did you ever meet Francine's parents?

Richard: Yeah, plenty of times. It was harder winning over her brothers though. She has an older one and a younger one. We uh...we were actually planning on going back to California to find them.

Daryl: That's far as hell.

Richard: Yeah. But we're leaving only when we're ready to go. I mean, we gotta think about Mina's safety too.

Maggie: That little girl is such an angel. You know she brought me a daisy today thanking me for helping her sister.

Richard: (smiles) Mina's always been like that, melting people's hearts.

The supply group arrive, and Richard sees Francine playing basketball with Tyreese. Francine smiles seeing Richard return, and she runs to him tackling him into a hug.

Richard: (smiles) Missed you too, babe.

Francine: What'd you guys bring back?

Richard: Just food and water.

Francine: Wanna play with me and Tyreese?

Richard: Sure.

Tyreese: I'm actually gonna go in and help sort out the food. See you two later.

Francine and Richard: See ya.

Francine and Richard play, and Richard gives no mercy to Francine even when she has a wounded shoulder on her dominant arm. He fouls Francine hard, and she ends up falling on her ass. She bolts right back onto her feet and goes face-to-face with Richard.

Francine: That was a cheap shot!

Richard: You've done worse to me before.

Francine: So? I got a wounded shoulder.

Richard: And I've got a wounded stomach. Cry me a river, babe.

Richard dunks right under Francine, heating her up even more. Beth watches the two playing basketball, and it surprises Francine how Richard shows her no mercy even with her injury. She watches Francine and Richard squabbling angrily about hard fouls, and it looks like they're about to get in a physical fight.

Daryl: What the hell's wrong with them?

Beth: Oh, they're just arguing about basketball.

Daryl: Looks like they're about to throw punches.

Beth: No, Richard would never hurt Francine.

Daryl: Can you say the same for her?

Beth: (smiles) They're just both competitive, I guess.

Daryl: Looks like the girl's more competitive than the kid.

Beth: Is it time for dinner yet?

Daryl: Yeah. I'll let those kids know.

Beth: Alright.

Beth heads back into the prison for dinner while Daryl walks over to Francine and Richard still arguing.

Daryl: Hey, dinner's ready.

Francine: We're not done with our game.

Richard: We can resume after we eat.

Francine looks at Richard and sees that he's set on getting dinner, but all she wants to do is win the game. She looks up at the hoop and sighs.

Richard: C'mon, babe. Let's eat and then I can finish whooping your ass.

Francine glares at Richard, and he just smirks. Francine rolls her eyes and walks towards the prison. Richard smiles and runs after her. He puts his arm around Francine's good shoulder, and she groans and pushes his arm off. Richard just laughs and wraps his arms around Francine's waist from behind as they walk into the prison for dinner.

Richard: (kisses Francine's neck) Love you, babe.

Francine: Yeah, yeah. Love you too.

* * *

><p>At night, Richard and Francine lay in bed together while Mina is sleeping on the bunk bed above them. They hold each other close, relieved to finally be able to sleep with both eyes closed and to be able to be intimate. All 3 wolves are sleeping on the bunk bed with Mina.<p>

Francine: Babe?

Richard: Yeah?

Francine: Did I ever tell you how much I love you?

Richard: (chortles) I think you might have.

Francine: (smiles) I love you so much, Richard.

Richard: Even when I handed your ass back to you on a silver platter in basketball?

Francine: (scoffs) Wait until I heal, I will _squash_ you out of existence.

Richard smiles and kisses Francine passionately loving this tit-for-tat.

Francine: I'm so glad you're with me.

Richard: I'm glad _you're_ with _me_.

Francine: Even when I make stupid decisions?

Richard: You're forgetting how many times you've helped us live ever since this world turned into a shit-hole. Wrapping my arm in that phone book saved my life. If it weren't for you, I would've turned into a walker.

Francine: But I made a mistake that killed everyone.

Richard: ...everyone but us. Babe, you can't kill yourself over this. I know what you're going through. I feel the same way about what happened to Joe. But we can't keep thinking about the wrong decisions we made. Before Joe died, he told me you and I were going to make tough choices. I think this is what he meant. He knew it was gonna be bad. Maybe if he were here with us, things could've gone differently, better for us. But he's not so we gotta move through the motions with what we've got, and all I've got are you and Mina to live for now. To keep you both safe and alive.

Francine kisses Richard lightly.

Richard: I need you to be strong, Francine. Not just for Mina, but for me. I need you to be there for me when I'm losing hope, to remind me that you and I...we need to carry on, that we have to believe. You and I need to stick together, and I need you to help support me when I need it. I need you more than you can know, babe. I need you with me.

Francine: (nods) Okay. I'll be here for you, babe. No matter what happens, I'll always be with you. And you'll always be with me, right?

Richard: (nods) Till the day I die.

Richard kisses Francine passionately.

Richard: I love you so much, Francine.

Francine: I love you too, Richard.


	5. Chapter 5

_Richard sits by Francine's bedside with Hershel and Maggie. Maggie is donating her blood to Francine with Hershel keeping watch to make sure everything is going smoothly._

_Richard: (to Hershel) Have you ever done this before?_

_Hershel: Yes, before with Carl, Rick's son._

_Richard: Rick...he's the leader of this group?_

_Hershel: Along with Daryl and I._

_Richard: How long have you people been living here?_

_Maggie: It's been a while. Maybe 2 months or more. Were you and Francine roaming before you met us?_

_Richard: Yeah. Pretty much. (to Hershel) She'll be okay, won't she?_

_Hershel: Yes, she will be. You'll need to give her time to recover._

_Richard looks back at Francine and he looks like he's going to break down._

_Richard: She's all I have. When it first happened...when the walkers first came...it killed her sister first, Jenny. I promised Jenny I'd keep Francine and Mina safe, and I intend to keep that promise with my life._

_Hershel: I understand, son. I'm going to go tell Rick and Daryl that Francine is doing just fine. I'll be right back._

_Richard watches Hershel walking out with his crutches. He then turns to Maggie, and she smiles weakly._

_Richard: Thank you so much for doing this. I didn't catch your name._

_Maggie: I'm Maggie._

_Richard: (nods) Thank you, Maggie. I...I can't think of a way for me to repay you.  
><em>

_Maggie: Don't worry about it, Richard. I want to do this for you and Francine._

_Richard: But why?_

_Maggie: Well...let's just say I'm kind of a sucker for love. I wouldn't want you to continue living through this life without the woman you love if there was anything I could do about it._

_Richard: Have you ever been in love?_

_Maggie: I am currently. With Glenn._

_Richard: Glenn..._

_Maggie: The Asian._

_Richard: Oh. Were you with him before the world turned into a shit-hole?_

_Maggie: No. Rick and Glenn, they were in another group before this place. They found our farm, and we took the group in. Glenn and I...we just sort of hit it off at the first moment._

_Richard smirks and looks back at Francine._

_Maggie: I don't think many people nowadays can find a love like Glenn and I found. And for anyone who's with their loved one, they should try to stay alive together for as long as they can. I'm happy to help Francine._

_Richard: You're a true angel, Maggie._

_Maggie laughs. Rick and Daryl come walking in, and they see Maggie with the IV in her arm connecting it to Francine's arm._

_Rick: How you feeling, Maggie?_

_Maggie: I'm fine. I was just talking with Richard about me and Glenn._

_Rick: (to Richard) Do you mind walking with us?_

_Richard looks back at Francine and Maggie._

_Maggie: She won't be going anywhere soon. Go ahead._

_Richard nods and walks off with Rick and Daryl back out to the prison. Richard looks around, seeing everyone staring at him while trying to continue with their chores. Rick, Daryl, and Richard walk off towards the basketball court to get some privacy. Richard notes the basketball court and examines it._

_Richard: You don't happen to have a basketball here, do you?_

_Rick: Never checked for one. I don't suppose we do._

_Richard nods and already knows his gift to Francine when she wakes up._

_Rick: We just have 2 questions to ask you, Richard. First question, how many walkers have you killed?_

_Richard: ...I'm not really sure. I'd say...4 or 5._

_Rick: How many people have you killed?_

_Richard: ...one._

_Daryl: Why?_

_Richard: When our group went to Woodbury, we were dehydrated. We were traveling through the forest for days trying to find water. We went into a house to get some water, and one of our people...Deana...she was bit. She was on the floor bleeding out so much. She begged me to kill her. She was in so much pain, and I just...I couldn't let her suffer like that. So I killed her with a shower pole. I tried to make it as swift and painless as I could._

_Rick: And this Dennis you mentioned from before._

_Richard: Yeah, Dennis...the town was about to be surrounded by walkers, so Francine thought of a plan to get us out. We used chairs as a shield, and we all got into this line, like a formation. Francis was the first one taken down. Then it was Charlie. He was Dennis' friend from before. Francine, Mina, and I ran as fast as we could away from the town, and Dennis bumped into us with a gun. He shot Francine and me, and then he killed himself._

_The 3 pups come running out of the prison and quickly run over to Richard. They scratch his leg, wanting Richard to play with them._

_Daryl: How did you tame these wolves?_

_Richard: We...didn't really. We just found them when they were little pups. Their parents weren't around, so we took care of them. You know, the walkers don't care about these pups._

_Rick: What do you mean?_

_Richard: Once, there was a herd of walkers coming our way. We all hid, but the pups stood there barking at them. The walkers just walked right past them as if they didn't even notice them._

_Rick and Daryl look at one another._

_Richard: Those things don't care about animals. They don't want to feast on animals. And I've been thinking...when these pups grow old enough, I'm going to use them to protect Francine and Mina. They're too young to do anything right now. I mean, they've barely got their teeth coming in. But when they get bigger and stronger...maybe they'll be our ticket back to California._

_Rick: California?_

_Richard: Yeah. Francine's family is there. She has two brothers who could be alive there, maybe in a similar situation as us._

_Daryl: What makes you so sure they're alive?_

_Richard: Nothing, to be honest. But I don't believe they're dead either. I just...have this feeling that they're alive, they're surviving. I think they're hoping Francine and Mina will come home one day.  
><em>

_Rick and Daryl share a look as if telepathically communicating. Rick then looks back to Richard._

_Rick: You, Francine, and Mina can stay here as long as you need to._

_Richard: Thanks, man._

_Rick: But if you're to stay, you'll need to contribute to the group._

_Richard: Sure. Anyway I can._

_Rick: You haven't killed enough walkers to go out on supply runs..._

_Richard: I can hunt._

_Daryl: You know how to hunt?_

_Richard: Yeah. I used to hunt with my dad during deer, elk season...duck, wabbit - err, rabbit season._

_Rick: Then I guess you can be Daryl's new hunting partner._

_Daryl: (scoffs) Hunting partner?_

_Richard: Yeah, I can do that. (to Daryl) I'll hunt with you._

_Daryl: You'd only slow me down, kid._

_Richard: I'm telling you, man, I'm a pretty good hunter._

_Rick: (to Daryl) Why don't you go take him out and see how good of a hunter he is?_

* * *

><p>Francine wakes up with Richard right by her side fast asleep. She smiles, happy that they're finally in a safe place together with Mina. Francine looks into Richard's face and she can't help but cry silently. She's so thankful that even through all this horrible mess with the world turning upside down, she still has Richard with her. He's the source of her strength, and with her new-found strength she relays it back to Richard to keep his spirits up. Francine kisses Richard lightly to not wake him up.<p>

Francine: (whispers) I love you so much, Richard.

Francine kisses him again and walks out of the prison to get some daylight, but her day starts bad hearing the snarling of walkers. It was not the way she wanted to start her day.

Hershel: How's your arm?

Francine looks and sees Hershel walking to her with his crutches.

Francine: (smiles) It's getting better.

Hershel: Here. Let me take a look at it.

Hershel unwraps the bandages to look at how Francine's bullet wounds are healing.

Hershel: It's healing well. Very clean.

Francine: Thanks to you, Mr. Hershel.

Hershel: Do you think you can help Rick with the crops today?

Francine: Sure, I can try.

Francine walks over to where Rick is tending to the garden alone.

Francine: Good morning.

Rick: Morning. You able to work?

Francine: I'll try my best.

Francine helps plant the seeds and waters them while Rick is digging up for more soil. Francine sings to the plants while planting, and Rick eyes her.

Rick: My wife used to sing that to Carl when he was a baby.

Francine: (looks at Rick) I like to sing that to Mina when she can't fall asleep. Your wife...she's not here?

Rick: (continues digging) No.

Francine: I guess we've all lost people we loved...what a shit-storm this world turned into.

Rick: (scoffs) Yeah. I got over thinking like that a while ago.

Francine: You must've encountered a lot of walkers. I'm still not used to it all. I mean...dead people walking around trying to eat you. I don't know how anyone can get used to it or just brush it off.

Rick: You'll have to learn to or else you can't think straight. And you gotta think straight to help other people who depend on you.

Francine: (scoffs) You sound like Richard.

Rick looks at Francine.

Francine: He's always been the Batman to my Robin. Or like the Indiana Jones to my Shorty.

Rick: He's a good leader?

Francine: He's a leader. He knows what to say at the right time. He has really good people-skills.

Rick: And you?

Francine: Not so much as him. He becomes so charismatic when the spotlight is on him. I've always envied that about Richard.

Nayru comes skipping to Francine's side and sniffs the plants.

Francine: Hey, get away from there. It's not for you.

The pup whines and circles around Francine wagging its tail. She playfully pushes the wolf hard, and it rolls over. It jumps back onto its feet panting, excited for play. Francine continues to push Nayru around, and the wolf keeps hopping back onto its feet happily barking for more.

Francine: (continues to play with Nayru) So what were you before this?

Rick: An officer.

Francine: Oh wow. Makes sense, I guess. I was an accountant.

Rick: I hated my accountant.

Francine: (laughs) Accountants hate their clients too.

Rick chuckles lightly.

Francine: Richard's a filmmaker. Real modest jobs. But good thing we have someone like you, someone who's used to dealing with shit-shows.

Rick: Mina tells me you and Richard kept your group alive.

Francine: Just in the sense with food. He'd hunt, and I'd start the fire. But it's different when your group is small. A group this large...it's hard to keep everything in check.

Rick doesn't answer.

Francine: But at least you have Daryl and Hershel.

Francine sees Richard walking out with Mina in his arm. She waves at them, and Richard puts Mina down. Mina runs to Francine and Rick at the gardens. Francine smiles and bends down to kiss Mina.

Mina: Are you planting flowers?

Francine: Not flowers. Seeds for food, baby.

Francine stands up and kisses Richard sweetly.

Francine: Morning, babe.

Richard: Morning. You sure you can work?

Francine: Rick's doing the hard labor. I'm just planting the seeds.

The 3 pups play with each other and start biting one another playfully.

Daryl: Hey, kid, let's go!

Richard: Gotta go, babe.

Francine: Wait, again?

Richard: Yeah. Daryl and I are gonna go hunting. I'm gonna bring back a bigger deer than him. Watch me win the bet, babe.

He kisses Francine and is about to run off, but Francine calls out for him again.

Francine: Wait!

Richard looks back at Francine and she walks up to him to talk to him quietly.

Francine: Babe...I don't want you to go out there again.

Richard: (smiles) Hey, I'm gonna be fine. Daryl's a good hunter. He'll watch my back.

Francine: Okay but still. I just...I don't want you to leave me.

Richard: It's gonna be fine, Francine. I'm gonna be okay.

Richard cups Francine's face and kisses her passionately.

Richard: I'm gonna head out. I'll be back soon.

Richard kisses Francine again and walks off with Eldin running after him leaving Nayru and Faron continuing to play together.

Rick: He'll be fine with Daryl.

Francine nods, and Mina watches her planting the seeds.

Francine: Mina, why don't you go to Carol and the other girls? Get to know them better.

Mina: Okay.

Mina runs off with Faron running by her side. Francine watches as Daryl and Richard head past the fenced gates of the prison into the forest...Daryl and Richard are out in the woods hunting with Eldin trotting by Richard's side. Daryl has his crossbow and Richard has a large machete. Daryl stops dead in his tracks.

Daryl: You hear that?

Richard: Something's behind the bushes.

The two wait and see a deer popping out.

Richard: Whoa, that's a big one.

Daryl: No, there's a bigger one nearby.

Richard: How can you tell?

Daryl: Cus I'm a damn hunter.

Richard: Well, I'm gonna get this one.

Daryl: Suit yourself. You're just gonna lose the bet.

Richard: Whatever, man.

Richard grabs a rock and throws it hard at the deer's head. It bonks the deer, and the deer falls to the ground. Richard quickly slits the deer's throat. Daryl can see the look of disgust on Richard's face when he does this.

Daryl: I thought you hunt.

Richard: I do. With guns. I'm not used to killing animals like this. I'm a pescatarian.

Daryl: A pesca-what?

Richard: I don't eat meat except for fish.

Daryl: Are you serious?

Richard: Yeah. But I mean, I don't really have a choice anymore. There aren't much fish around here.

Richard starts tying up the deer with Daryl keeping watch.

Daryl: So why are you a fish-eater? You got something against red meat?

Richard: No, red meat is good. But I watched this documentary in high school and it traumatized me, man.

Daryl scoffs at Richard.

Richard: I'm serious, man. It filmed everything about how cows go through processing to be made into red meat. It was...it was traumatizing, really. Ever since, I haven't been able to touch red meat.

Daryl: You sound like a little bitch.

Richard: Not every guy can be a hard-ass like you, man. Besides, I'm comfortable not eating red meat.

Daryl: You ain't no man unless you're eating red meat, kid.

Richard: (sarcastic) Oh yeah, because the very definition of being a man is eating red meat. By eating red meat, it'll make me more vital by adding beast blood to my own and it'll help show off my physical prowess. Oh yeah!

Daryl scoffs at Richard's sarcasm, and Richard finishes tying up the deer. He carries the dead deer with him while Daryl tracks down the bigger deer grazing on its own.

Daryl: Told ya.

Daryl points and aims his crossbow at the deer. The deer hears the click of the crossbow and moves its position. The arrow hits the deer right through its throat, and the deer stumbles away trying to run with little life it has left in it. Richard quickly throws his machete and stabs the deer with a final blow in its abdomen causing it to fall on its side. They run over to the deer, and Daryl slits its throat. Richard gets his machete out of the deer's body and wipes the blood on the grass.

Daryl: Pretty good throw, kid.

Richard: Well you were about to lose your catch, man. Just wanted to help.

Daryl scoffs and the two walk back with their deer for the group's breakfast.

Daryl: Not excited to eat the deer then, huh?

Richard: Not at all, man. But I got no choice. Francine and Mina have to eat to keep their energy up. Mina's a growing kid, and so are the pups.

Daryl: That ring you got yesterday, planning to propose to her?

Richard: Yeah. I uh, before all this, I was gonna propose to her when we got back to California. I told Joe about it, and he said to just go for it. We might not live to see another tomorrow, so don't hold back anymore.

Daryl: (nods) Guy knows what he's talking about.

Daryl can see talking about Joe upsets Richard.

Daryl: You okay, kid?

Richard: Yeah. I just wish Joe and Jenny were here. I mean, it's hard making choices in this kinda world, you know? You gotta think about so many things because of those damn walkers. Joe and Jenny were smart. They were...they were real leaders, smart leaders. They could just see a problem and find a way to fix it. But me...I'm not like that. I'm just...a regular guy. Not a leader for sure. I just feel like if...if at least Joe was here, he could help me. You know, kinda like a brother-figure. He's always been that to me, giving me advice on the family. He always had my back and looked out for me.

Daryl: Yeah, well you gotta accept that he ain't here no more. It's just you, Francine, and the baby.

Richard: (nods) Yeah. I know...

* * *

><p>Lizzie, Mika, and Mina are all sitting together away from the fences but looking at the walkers snarling right at them.<p>

Lizzie: Ooh, I wanna name her Becky.

Mika: That's a pretty name. And he should be Ryan. Maybe Becky and Ryan were husband and wife before they turned into walkers. What do you think, Mina?

Mina: Okay.

Lizzie: What do you want to name her, Mina?

Mina looks at the walker Lizzie points to. Mina frowns.

Mina: I don't want to name her.

Lizzie: Why not? Don't you think it's fun making up stories for them?

Mina: No. I don't like to think of them. They only want to hurt us and eat us. They're mean monsters.

Mika: But it makes it easier if you try to think up of a nice story for them before they turned into monsters.

Mina: No. Not for me.

Mina walks off with Faron trotting by her side. Mina just plays with her 3-week-old growing wolf pup. Patrick, a teenage boy who came from Woodbury, sees Mina playing with her pup. He smiles and squats down by Mina's side.

Patrick: Hey Mina. Whatcha doing?

Mina: I'm playing with Faron.

Patrick: Fun. You know, Faron's getting bigger everyday. I bet in just a few more weeks, she'll be as big as you.

Mina: (laughs) Faron's a boy!

Patrick: (laughs) Oh, I'm sorry. _He'll _be as big as you.

Mina: (giggles) Faron is my best friend.

Patrick: Oh? What about Richard? I thought he was your best friend.

Mina: No, he's my family.

Patrick: (looks at Faron) You know, have you ever thought about training Faron?

Mina: Huh?

Patrick: I mean, you could train Faron to do a lot of things.

Mina: Faron follows me everywhere I go.

Patrick: (smiles) Yeah, I know he does. Well, I'm going to go to Carol's class now. I'll see you later.

Mina: I want to go! I like Carol.

Patrick: Uh, you know, Mina. This class isn't for someone your age.

Mina: Why?

Patrick: Because...it's for older people. I'll see you later, alright?

Mina watches Patrick walking off, and she follows him with Faron by her side. She walks into the prison and she hides behind a door. Mina peeks into the room where Carol is with the other children teaching them how to use knives to protect themselves. Mina watches the children holding knives, and she looks at Faron. The pup whines lightly, and the two walk out of the prison back out into the sun...Daryl and Richard arrive with 2 big deers for breakfast. The deers are cooked over an open fire, and the shares are distributed. Everyone eats together out in the sun while keeping watch on the walkers. As Francine sits there looking around, she already feels like she's part of a new family. Francine sees Mina giving most of her food to Faron.

Francine: Mina, you need to eat.

Mina: I'm not hungry.

Francine: It doesn't matter. Eat your food.

Mina: But Faron is hungrier than me.

Francine: (stern) I don't care, Mina. You need to eat your food now.

Mina: (sadly) Okay.

Mina eats her food slowly as Francine watches her. Richard comes by and sits by Francine. All 3 pups are gathered again, and they all stare at their masters. Richard throws them the entire leg of the bigger deer, and the 3 pups start consuming the deer with their growing canine teeth.

Richard: Why does Mina look so sad?

Francine: She was feeding Faron, and I told her to stop.

Richard: The pups are growing fast.

Francine: Yeah, they are.

Richard: Daryl, Glenn, and I are going on another supply run later.

Francine: (looks at Richard) _Again_?

Richard: Yeah. Apparently we ran out of pads and tampons, so we gotta go get some.

Francine: (chuckles) Oh, yeah totally.

Richard: Want me to bring you back something?

Francine: Uh...you know what. Can I actually go out with you today?

Richard: Why?

Francine: I wanna get something for Mina.

Richard: Let me know what it is, and I'll get it for you.

Francine: No. I wanna go out with you.

Francine looks back to Mina and sees she's already done with her food. Francine can tell Mina is still hungry from giving most of her food to Faron. Francine takes out a few pieces of meat for herself and gives the rest of her bowl to Mina.

Mina: Thank you, Franny.

Francine: No problem.

Francine watches Mina eat the rest of her bowl while Francine and Richard share his bowl. When everyone's done eating, Richard takes the left-overs of the deer and throws it to the pups. The pups continue feasting while the supply team get ready to head out. Francine sees Richard talking to Daryl and Glenn.

Richard: Hey guys, Francine wants to join us on our supply run today but you guys can't let her.

Glenn: Why don't you tell her yourself?

Richard: I've tried. She's set her mind on going; she won't listen to me. But maybe if you guys try to act intimidating she'll change her mind. Oh crap, here she comes. Remember, you can't let her go with us, man.

Francine: (walks over) Hey guys. Are we ready to go?

Glenn, Daryl, and Richard look at Francine as if they're all guilty of conspiring. She can immediately tell Richard told them something.

Glenn: We?

Francine: Yes. I'm sure Richard's already told you that I want to go on the supply run with you today.

Daryl: It's best if we just bring you back what you want.

Francine: Why? Because I'm a girl and you think I'm weak?

The 3 guys exchange looks with one another.

Francine: Then how come Maggie went with you guys before? Is she not a girl? Is there something I don't know about her, Glenn?

Glenn: Well, it's different with you and Maggie.

Francine: Why?

Glenn: First, she's killed a ton of walkers, much more than you. Second, she knows the layout of the town.

Richard: Babe, just stay here with Mina. I'll go get what you want.

Francine: No. I know how to kill walkers. I've done it before, and I can do it again.

Richard: (adamant) Babe, you can't go.

Francine: (sternly) Not if you keep standing in my way.

Daryl and Glenn just stand there awkwardly, listening to Richard and Francine arguing. Francine walks past Richard and climbs into the car. Richard sighs. He knew from the very beginning that there wasn't any way he nor Daryl and Glenn could convince Francine to stay. He just wished that she would stay behind in the prison where it's much safer. Richard looks to Daryl and Glenn.

Richard: Great help, guys.

Daryl: The girl wants what the girl wants.

Daryl hops into the driver's seat while Glenn sits in the passenger seat. Richard and Francine sit in the back. They arrive at the ghost town, and Daryl turns the engine off.

Richard: So what are you trying to look for?

Francine: Some kind of a small cart with a handle and some rope.

Daryl: For what?

Francine: I wanna make a saddle for Faron. (to Richard) Remember with our Doberman?

Richard: (nods) Yeah. But how do you know Faron will wheel Mina around? He's still a wild animal.

Francine: Yeah, but we can always give it a shot. It'll make Mina happy if I can do this for her.

Richard: (sighs) Francine and I will go look for the cart and rope. (to Daryl and Glenn) You guys find...the other stuff.

Glenn: Yeah, great...

Daryl and Glenn head off to find pads and tampons while Richard and Francine head off to find a cart and rope.

Francine: Let's check in the flower shop.

Richard: Alright.

Richard walks in first with machete in hand, and Francine follows him closely. Eldin and Nayru follow right by their sides. Francine looks around and easily spots a small cart loaded with bags of seeds.

Francine: Nice. All I need is rope.

Richard and Francine search for rope but can't find any in the flower shop.

Richard: I don't think there's any rope in here, babe.

Francine: Let's head out.

Richard and Francine step out and Francine looks around the town.

Francine: A pawn shop.

Richard: Pawn shop?

Francine: Yeah. Let's check it out.

Richard and Francine enter the pawn shop with the pups. Francine's eyes immediately fall onto a round shield and sword in its scabbard. She walks up to the weapons and takes down the shield and sword. Francine puts the shield down and takes out the sword from its scabbard. It glistens even in the dark, and Francine is awed at the beauty of the sword. She sheathes the sword back into its scabbard and hangs it around her shoulder to strap it down. Francine then hangs the shield behind her, and her new equipment excites her.

Richard: What are you doing?

Francine: I'm gonna take these back.

Richard: Really? A sword and shield?

Francine: Yeah, why not? You know walkers can hear guns from miles away.

Richard: Aren't they heavy?

Francine: A bit. But I can grow into them. Just gotta get more muscles or something, you know?

Richard: (chortles) Well, you do look hot with that, babe.

Francine: (smiles seductively) Aw, my sword and shield are turning you on?

Richard: (bites his lip with a smile) No. But you are.

Francine and Richard share a passionate kiss, and Richard moves his hands down to Francine's bottom to squeeze her. Francine moans and feels herself getting wet fast after not having sex for weeks. When Francine reaches her hand down to touch Richard, they hear Nayru whimpering. Francine quickly follows the sounds of her whimpers and sees Nayru tangled up in a bunch of rope.

Francine: Aw, good going, Nayru.

Francine quickly untangles Nayru from the ropes, and she throws the ropes into the cart.

Francine: All done, babe.

Richard: Alright. But we're not _completely _done here, are we?

Richard smirks and kisses Francine again. Francine kisses him back but ends it first.

Richard: What's wrong?

Francine: I just don't wanna have sex here. What if Daryl and Glenn walk in on us?

Richard: Apart from the entire group if we have sex in the prison? Babe, where else are we gonna do it? I want you bad.

Francine: I want you too. But I'm just not comfortable doing it here. Maybe if we can be real quiet, we can try it at the prison.

Richard: Oh yeah, cus you're real quiet during sex.

Francine laughs and smacks Richard in the chest playfully. He laughs and looks into Francine's eyes.

Richard: I love you, babe.

Francine: Love you back.

Richard and Francine walk out of the pawn shop, and the two pups start growling. Richard and Francine look around to see nothing.

Richard: Get in the car now.

Richard, Francine, and the pups get in the car to hide from whatever they're growling at. Richard peeks up to see a hoard of walkers walking through the town.

Richard: Shit.

Francine: What about Glenn and Daryl?

Richard sees the 2 dozen walkers heading towards the store where Glenn and Daryl entered.

Richard: Oh fuck!

Francine: (panics) What?

Richard: The walkers see Daryl and Glenn inside.

Francine: What?!

Francine peeks and sees the 2 dozen walkers heading straight into the store seeing Daryl and Glenn. Francine knows that Daryl and Glenn will die if she and Richard don't do anything about it. Francine quickly leans forward and honks the car. Most of the walkers turn back around and look at the honking car.

Richard: What the hell are you doing, Francine?!

Francine: We have to help Daryl and Glenn. Get out of the car now.

Francine quickly gets out of the car with Richard following her and the pups hopping out. Francine takes out her newly found sword while Richard holds onto his machete. Francine and Richard can see that Daryl and Glenn have begun to kill the walkers that didn't care about the honking car. The wolves make the first move. Nayru and Eldin attack a walker together. Nayru bites onto the walker's leg, and she pulls on its leg so hard that the walker falls onto its back. Eldin then quickly bites into the walker's head, killing it immediately. Francine takes a step forth with her sword in her left hand and her shield hung around her right arm. She keeps her shield up to keep the walkers a distance away, and she starts killing as many as she can while Richard does the same but without a shield. Daryl and Glenn then run to Richard and Francine to help them kill off the rest of the walkers. Francine looks back to Richard and sees 2 walkers heading towards him from both sides. Richard is too busy fighting off another walker to notice the 2 walkers closing in on him. The wolves make the first move and attack the walker on Richard's right. They do the same move to kill the walker. Francine kills the walker to Richard's left, and he sees the walkers that could've bit him if it weren't for the wolves and Francine.

Richard: (breathless) Thanks, babe.

Francine: (breathless) Someone's gotta watch your back.

Daryl: You two okay?

Richard and Francine: Fine.

Glenn: Nice sword and shield.

Francine: Thanks. Pawn shop. You guys got the stuff?

Glenn: Yeah. Let's head back.

Richard looks around at the dozens of dead walkers surrounding them.

Richard: All this for some pads and tampons.

Francine: When a man loves a woman, right?

Richard looks at Francine, and they share a look together that says it all. They smile at one another and head into the car with Daryl heading to the driver's seat and Glenn heading to the passenger seat.

* * *

><p>Francine has been sitting on her bed for the longest time making a dog saddle out of the rope she found. But Francine isn't so good at making a dog saddle, even though she's using her rope-tying skills she honed from Girl Scouts. Francine groans in frustration, and she hears footsteps. Carol pokes her head in and sees Francine frustrated with rope knots on her lap.<p>

Carol: Trying to make something?

Francine: A dog saddle.

Carol: For what?

Francine: Well, I was trying to attach this rope to the handle and make a dog saddle, kinda like for a sled dog, you know? I mean, I tied the rope to the handle of this cart but I can't make a dog saddle. It's complicated.

Carol: Here, let me try.

Francine hands Carol the rest of the rope, and Carol messes around with it as if she's still trying to find the answer.

Carol: Daryl told me you and Richard saved his and Glenn's life today.

Francine: Really? When?

Carol: (smiles) When you honked the car and made the walkers turn away from the shop they were in.

Francine: Oh yeah. (sheepish) It was nothing. I couldn't let Daryl and Glenn die when we could give them a fighting chance. Besides, I owe Daryl my life for what he's done for Richard, Mina, and me.

Carol: It was very brave what you did. Thank you.

Francine: (nods) No problem. How was Mina today?

Carol: Fine. She gets along with Mika pretty well.

Francine: What about Lizzie?

Carol: Not so much. Lizzie and Mina, they're both strong girls. They clash, and Mina is...well she's pretty blunt about things.

Francine: (chortles) She's always blunt about things. I mean, just as long as no one's hurting anyone I guess.

Carol: Yeah, they'll be 's very independent, you know.

Francine: (smiles) I'm glad. She should get used to it.

Carol: (looks at Francine) Why do you say that?

Francine: (shrugs) In case anything happens to me or Richard. We're all she has. But if she can learn to be on her own, it's all I can ask for.

Carol: (nods) Alright, what do you think about this?

Carol holds up what she's done with the rope. Francine whistles, and Nayru comes running to her and jumps on the bed. Francine tries to put the saddle over Nayru, but the rope is too big.

Carol: Oh no, the saddle is too big.

Francine: No, it's actually perfect because the pups are still growing. I'm sure it'll fit nicely when they're big enough. Thank you so much, Carol.

Carol: (smiles) Of course.

Francine: You know, Mina told me you teach a class on handling knives.

Carol's smile fades quickly.

Francine: I was wondering if you could help Mina too. The only knife I'm used to handling is a kitchen knife for cutting up food, not for killing walking dead people. And Richard's too busy helping around the prison. Could you help Mina learn how to fight?

Carol: Sure. I can do that. Just don't tell Rick about what I'm doing.

Francine: Sure. I can promise that.


	6. Chapter 6

(1 month later)

_Francine walks out of the terminal with her suitcase. The first person she sees right when she walks out is Richard leaning against the rail smiling at her when he spots her. Francine grins and runs to Richard. She tackles him into an embrace, and they look into each other's eyes grinning at one another. It's been 3 months since Richard left California to Canada, the last time they saw each other besides Skyping.  
><em>

_Richard: Had a good flight?_

_Francine: Flew first class with a whole bottle of champagne to myself. Does that sound like a good time to you?_

_Richard smiles and holds Francine's hand. They walk out of the airport and Richard drives Francine to his apartment. It's a very small apartment with only 1 room not including the bathroom._

_Richard: Sorry it's not as big as your place._

_Francine: Are you kidding? This is great! At least we get privacy unlike my house._

_Richard shows Francine his room and she settles in. She plops onto the bed as if it's her own and she snuggles with his pillow. Richard smiles and climbs over Francine to get on the bed with her. She rolls to her other side to dig her face into Richard's chest. He puts his hand over Francine's waist to keep her close.  
><em>

_Richard: My friends want us to come out for dinner tonight. It's their treat._

_Francine: Aw, that's so sweet! Trevor, Jared, and Lance?_

_Richard: Yeah._

_Francine: How are they?_

_Richard: Fine. They're excited that you're here._

_Francine smiles._

_Richard: Want some water?_

_Francine: Sure. That'd be great._

_Richard: Alright. Be right back._

_Richard leaves his room and gets Francine a glass of water. When he comes back, he sees Francine fast asleep in the same position he left her. He chortles and sets the glass of water by his bedside near Francine. Richard looks into her face and brushes her hair aside from her face, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb._

Richard is sitting in bed right beside Francine who's still sleeping late into the morning. He looks down to her face, watching her sleep soundly. Richard brushes her hair aside from her face and touches her face gently with his hand. He's been taking every day step-by-step especially since he has Francine and Mina to take care of. His role in the group is to go out on supply runs and to hunt with Daryl to provide food. Richard and Daryl have been getting closer as they spend time hunting together, and Richard also got to know Glenn, Maggie, and Michionne well because of their supply runs. Though Richard knows he, Francine, and Mina still have a family to check up on in California, he doesn't want to leave the group. The group created a whole new life in the prison, and it's safe. It's been so long since there was an accident of any sort, and it finally feels like things are becoming relatively normal. Richard feels comfortable living in the prison with everyone, and the only downside is that he and Francine can't have intercourse as often as they'd like because there's just no privacy. They have to pick and choose their times wisely, and they have to be as quiet and quick as possible. Richard feels Francine's soft skin, and he leans down to kiss her on the cheek gently. Francine stirs awake and looks up at Richard looking down at her.

Francine: (smiles weakly) Happy birthday, babe.

Richard: Is it?

Francine: Yeah. You haven't been counting the days?

Richard: No. Didn't see the reason for it.

Francine: Well _I _have. And today's your birthday. You remember how old you are, right?

Richard: (chortles) Well if today really _is_ my birthday, then I'm 24 now.

Francine: (imitates _24 _theme) Ding-ding, ding-ding, ding-ding. (puts her hands together to make a gun) My name is Agent Jack Bauer, and today is the longest day of my life.

Richard scoffs at Francine's priceless imitation. Francine smiles and sits up to kiss Richard lightly on the lips. She hugs Richard tightly, and he hugs her back the same way.

Francine: (whispers into Richard's ear) Maybe if we get lucky tonight, I can give you a real special present. It'll be the cherry on top to your day.

Richard: (whispers) Maybe you can give me a little taste of it now.

Francine looks at Richard with a smile. She peeks up to the bunk bed above, and Mina isn't there. While Francine checks the bed, Richard peeks out his cell to see if anyone's around. Everyone is outside. Francine and Richard look back to one another at the same time with the same smile and same thought. Francine and Richard head under the covers, and they take off their pants. They throw it all on the ground, and Francine spreads her legs open making sure they're fully covered by their blanket. Richard looks into Francine's eyes when he enters her. It sends chills down his spine seeing her eyes roll back from the pleasure. He starts moving in and out slowly locking his eyes on hers, and Francine whimpers as quietly as she can. It's been a while since Richard and Francine made love, and Francine can already feel herself close to finishing as she spreads her legs further apart to give Richard more space to move. Richard knows what Francine likes and how she likes it. As Richard keeps moving in and out, the wet suction sounds of natural lubrication and skin hitting skin are slightly muffled under the covers but very audible to Richard and Francine. The wet suction sounds push Francine and Richard close to the edge, and it gets Francine wetter. Richard pushes himself in as deep as he can, and he kisses Francine so her moans are muffled. As Richard starts moving in and out again deeper inside Francine, they hear the front gate open.

Daryl: Yo kid, you in here?

Richard: Uh, y-yeah. What's up, man?

Daryl: We're going out on a supply run in a little bit. Get ready.

Richard: Gotcha.

Richard and Francine hear the front gate close, and they pause for a moment to listen for footsteps. They hear none, and they look back into each other's eyes.

Francine: (smiles) Let's hurry.

Richard moves as quietly yet strongly as he can deep inside Francine, and she wraps her legs around Richard as she feels herself getting closer to the edge. Richard can see Francine is close, so he pushes in harder. Francine moans and shudders, and Richard puts his hand over her mouth to muffle her scream of pleasure. Francine tightens around Richard fast, and he digs his face into the pillow grunting and moaning as he finishes inside her. Richard and Francine are panting from the immense seconds of pleasure, and Richard pulls out slowly. He lies on his back next to Francine as they both recover.

Richard: (panting) I feel like I lost weight.

Francine laughs and hits Richard's chest playfully.

Francine: Can you get me some tissues, babe?

Richard gets up and puts his pants on. He then grabs some tissues and hands them over to Francine. She takes the covers off and wipes herself from the mixture of fluids. Richard watches Francine putting her pants back on. She looks back and sees him staring at her, and she smiles. The two walk out of the prison, and they see Mina playing with Mika. Mina notices her sister and Richard awake, and she runs to them.

Mina: Good morning.

Richard and Francine: Morning, Mina.

Mika: Good morning Francine and Richard.

Richard and Francine: Morning, Mika.

Francine: Mina, you know today is a very special day for Richard.

Mina: Really? Why?

Francine: Today's his birthday.

Mina and Mika: (happily) Happy birthday, Richard!

Richard: (smiles) Thanks you two.

Mika: How old are you now?

Richard: 24.

Mina: (laughs) You're so old!

Mina and Mika laugh together. From the cars, Daryl spots Richard finally awake standing around with Francine.

Daryl: (to Richard) Finally you're up. Get your ass over here, kid. Supply run.

Richard puts his hand up, signaling he got the message. He then turns back to Francine.

Richard: I'll see you soon, babe.

Francine: Come back soon, Richard.

They share another kiss, and Francine watches Richard running to the car where Daryl and Glenn are. She watches Daryl driving away with Richard and Glenn for a supply run. Francine walks over to the gardens where Rick and Carl are examining the growing tomatoes.

Carl: I can't wait to eat these tomatoes.

Francine: Well you better wait another month or you'll get sick.

Carol: (walks towards the gardens) Morning.

Francine, Rick, and Carl: Morning.

Carol: Ready to go?

Francine: Yeah.

Carl: Where are you going?

Francine: Today's Richard's birthday. I'm gonna go fishing.

Carl: Fishing?

Francine: Yeah. Richard's a pescatarian. Or at least he used to be. Anyways I wanna make him a good lunch today, like a surprise you know? (walks off with Carol) Oh, and if Richard comes back before we do don't tell him I'm out fishing, okay?

Carl: Then what should I tell him?

Francine: I don't know. Think of something. And it better be something good.

Carl: I'll try. See ya.

Francine and Carol leave the prison behind the back where it's closer to the lake. As they walk through the forest, Nayru catches up with Francine. She's now 8-weeks old and about the size of a large Beagle. The 3 wolves have lately been roaming around in the forest after digging a small hole under a gated fence in the back. Francine, Mina, and Richard don't mind that the wolves are being more independent because they always end up visiting as if to let the 3 know that they're still alive and together.

Francine: Hey Nayru. Haven't seen you in a while.

The wolf just trots alongside Francine and Carol.

Carol: So how old is Richard turning?

Francine: 24.

Carol: (chortles and reminisces) When I was 24, George Bush Sr. was president.

Francine: Really? I was _born_ during Bush Sr.'s presidency.

The two women share a laugh at their age difference.

Francine: Now, are you sure you know how to fish?

Carol: Our family used to go fishing on vacations. My husband...he'd fish for hours and I'd just sit there, watching him with my daughter.

Francine: My brothers loved to go fishing too. They'd plan fishing trips months in advance. I never had any interest in it.

Carol: Not even when you started dating Richard?

Francine: (laughs) He doesn't fish either. But I started eating sushi because of him. Or I should say the raw fish.

Carol: Sashimi.

Francine: Yeah, that gnarly stuff. Took me some time getting used to it though. But my little brother, he's a chef. He taught me how to cut the fish. There's like a special way to do it.

Carol and Francine arrive at the small stream that flows into a lake. They take out their hand-made fishing poles, and they sit on the rocks waiting to reel in some fish...Meanwhile Daryl, Glenn, and Richard drive off to the town.

Richard: The town's running out of supplies.

Daryl: We're gonna have to look for another town.

Richard: And kill a whole bunch of walkers _there_?

Daryl: Got no choice. We got people to take care of.

Glenn: So what's this news I hear of it being your birthday today, Richard?

Daryl: (looks at Richard) It's your birthday, kid?

Richard: (sheepish) Yeah.

Daryl: And you didn't bother to tell any of us?

Richard: Well, Francine knows.

Daryl: Cus she's your damn girl. Of course she knows.

Richard: I mean, do birthdays really even matter anymore?

Glenn: Well it's a good way to remind yourself how old you are.

Daryl: How old are you anyway?

Richard: Turning 24.

Glenn: Ah, 24. (imitates Jack Bauer) My name is Agent Jack Bauer, and today is the longest day of my life.

Richard: (chortles) That's _exactly _what Francine said to me in the morning.

Glenn: Of course. Cus it's the greatest show on earth. Or...at least it was...

Daryl: Who the hell is Agent Jack Bauer?

Glenn: Dude, you don't know, man?

Richard: It's really the greatest TV show on earth. It's about this federal agent named Jack Bauer and this guy is bad-ass, man. Like he always end up in these tough situations and never dies. No matter how much shit goes down, and you think "Oh shit, he's gonna die", he never does. He _never _does. It's insane, but it's so cool. I actually got Francine into that show.

Daryl: Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me. Not interested.

Richard: No, man. If we ever find a TV and it somehow has cable, I'm gonna show you an episode of it and you're gonna lose your mind. It's intense.

Glenn: Yeah, it is. When I used to be a pizza delivery boy, the new episode of the week played right before my shift. So after I'd finish watching the episode, I'd pretend like I was Jack Bauer and pretend like people are chasing me.

Daryl: When all you're doin' is just delivering pizza.

Glenn: Well...it made the job more bearable.

The 3 arrive in town and they head into the pharmacy. The 3 start looking for the supplies needed back in the prison, and Eldin comes trotting into the pharmacy.

Richard: Hey buddy. Had a good hunt?

Eldin pants as if saying yes. Eldin then perks his ears up and growls with a low snarl.

Richard: What's wrong?

Daryl takes a look outside through the window, and he sees a herd of walkers coming their way.

Daryl: About a dozen walkers. Stay low.

Daryl, Glenn, and Richard all hide and lay low to stay hidden from the walkers. After waiting for a while, Daryl peeks out and signals that the coast is clear. The 3 head back to the car, and they heave all the supplies into the trunk of the car. Richard looks back and sees Eldin trotting away back into the forest. He can see Nayru and Faron there waiting for Eldin in the forest. Richard watches the 3 wolves disappear through the thick bushes, and as he watches the wolves disappear no one notices a lonesome walker heading straight for Richard. When Richard turns around, the walker lunges forward with its mouth wide open. Richard stumbles back from fright at the surprise of seeing a walker right in front of him. The walker falls and takes a bite out of Richard's right forearm. Richard screams in pain, and the 3 wolves come running back in a flash. Eldin quickly pounces onto the walker and immobilizes it by striking its neck. Nayru and Faron then destroy the walker's head with their grown fangs. Richard panics looking at his bit arm, and Daryl quickly grabs Richard's hand extending it away from his body. Then with a quick and powerful swing, Daryl brings down his machete and chops off Richard's arm from above his elbow. Richard is in such shock looking at his amputated arm bleeding out wildly.

Daryl: (to Glenn) Get the car ready now!

Glenn quickly runs into the car and he sees a bunch of walkers headed their way after hearing Richard screaming. Daryl quickly takes out his bandana and wraps Richard's amputated arm with it to try to stop the bleeding. Eldin whimpers and butts his head on Richard's chest as if apologizing for letting this happen. Daryl carries Richard into the car and Glenn floors it...

* * *

><p><em>Richard's friends Trevor, Jared, and Lance come over to Richard's apartment after dinner with Francine. The guys were kind enough to split the bill for Francine so that she wouldn't have to pay. The 5 sit in front of the TV and drink beer from Richard's fridge. Richard turns to the show 24.<br>_

_Richard: Yes, it just started._

_Francine: What show is this?_

_Richard, Trevor, Jared, and Lance all look at Francine with an "are you serious" look._

_Jared: You don't know 24?_

_Francine: No._

_Trevor: Dude, you've gotta be kidding me. 24 is the greatest show on earth, man._

_Francine: What's it about?_

_Trevor: It's about a federal agent named Jack Bauer, and he stops terrorist activities. It's fucking awesome._

_Richard: Just watch one episode. I guarantee you'll love it._

_The first season and first episode plays. Francine is immediately hooked into the show._

_Francine: Wow. That was awesome!_

_All 4 guys: Right?_

_Francine: How many episodes are there?_

_Lance: 24 episodes. Each episode is like 1 hour of real-time, so the entire season is literally like what happens in 24 hours._

_Francine: Whoa, that's awesome! Man, it must be a really long day for Jack Bauer, huh?_

_Jared: Yeah. So much shit happens to Jack Bauer in 24 hours, and it's all about his family._

_Trevor: Season 1 is the longest day of Bauer's life compared to the other seasons._

_Francine: How do you know that?_

_Trevor: Cus he says it in the next episode._

_Francine: (laughs) Oh._

The fenced gates are opened, and the car speeds inside. The group wonders what happened for Glenn to be driving so fast and reckless like that. Daryl then comes out of the car covered in blood, and he carries Richard out. Everyone is horrified at the sight of Richard with 1 arm missing. Eldin comes back by digging under the gated fences. The wolves dug a little hole big enough for them to freely go in and out of the prison.

Carl: Dad...

Rick runs to Daryl and Glenn.

Tyreese: What the hell happened?!

Glenn: (frantic) Where's Hershel? We need his help.

Rick goes running into the prison with Glenn and Daryl following right behind carrying Richard.

Rick: Hershel!

Hershel stands up and puts his Bible down. He comes out from his cell and sees Richard's state.

Daryl: He was bit, so I had to cut off his arm. The kid said he's A-positive.

Carl: I'm A-positive! I'll donate my blood to Richard.

Rick: No. I'll do it.

Hershel: Before we start thinking about donating blood, we need to _stop_ his bleeding first. Set him down. Glenn, go get me the matches. (to Carl) You might not want to see this, son.

Rick: (to Carl) Stay outside and keep everyone calm, Carl.

Carl nods and walks out looking back at Richard...

Francine: God! We haven't caught any fish, Carol. This is crazy!

Carol: (smiles) You have to be patient, Francine. That's the point of fishing.

Francine groans and looks into the stream.

Francine: I mean, there are so many fish here. They're just too smart to go for the bait. (sighs) How's Mina doing?

Carol: She's doing well. She knows how to handle knives, but I don't think she's strong enough to start killing walkers with them.

Francine: Right. Doesn't have the height either.

Carol: (chortles) Yeah, that too.

Francine: You know, I had this really weird dream today. I dreamt that I was standing in front of my house back in California. I could see Jenny and Joe inside looking at me, Richard, and Mina through the window. They were telling us to come inside, but Mina and I didn't want to. But Richard was starting to walk to the house. I tried calling out for him to stop. He looked back to me and stood there looking at me and then the house. It's like he didn't know which to choose. Me or the house. (sighs) I feel so Freudian.

Carol: Like your dream is trying to tell you something?

Francine: Yeah. I hope it doesn't mean Richard wants to leave me.

Carol: Francine, I know that will be the very _last _thing Richard will ever do.

Francine's pole starts tugging, and she screams in excitement.

Francine: Holy shit! I caught one! I caught a fish, Carol!...

Hershel: Bite down on this, son.

Richard bites down hard into a pillow and screams in pain as Hershel cauterizes Richard's arm with matches to stop the bleeding. Daryl and Rick slightly turn away from the gruesome sight and smell of burning human flesh. Richard loses consciousness from the shock of pain and losing too much blood.

Daryl: Whoa, he's not dead, is he?

Hershel: No. Just in shock. The body can only handle so much pain. I'm almost done cauterizing his arm, so prepare my kit for a blood transfusion.

Daryl goes and gets Hershel's kit while Rick handcuffs Richard to the bed. Hershel looks at Rick.

Rick: Just in case he's turned.

Hershel nods, understanding because the same thing happened to him when Rick had to cut his leg off.

Hershel: Where is Francine?

Rick: Out fishing. It's Richard's birthday today.

Hershel sighs and Rick knows what Hershel is thinking. Rick dreads the moment Francine will come back from fishing to find out the man she loves lost an arm...Carol and Francine come back with 4 fishes in a bucket. As they're heading back to the prison, Nayru and Faron come running to their side and whimper.

Francine: What's wrong, guys?

The wolves just whimper and run forward as if they want Francine and Carol to follow them. Francine and Carol just walk at their own pace back to the prison, the same way the wolves are heading. They slide back into the prison and walk to the front of the prison. When they arrive, everyone looks at Francine. Francine looks at everyone looking at her, finding it strange that they all have the same look on their faces. Carl walks up to Francine and she can see how upset and uncomfortable he looks.

Carl: Francine...something happened.

Francine: What happened?

Carl: Well...you need to listen to me before you say or do anything, okay?

Francine: (worried) What happened? Is it Mina? Is she okay?

Carl: Mina's fine...it's about Richard. He was bit in the arm.

Francine drops her bucket of fish, and the fish slide out onto the ground.

Carl: Daryl cut his arm off, and Hershel is taking care of Richard inside. My dad is donating blood to Richard right now.

Francine walks past Carl into the prison. She can smell burnt flesh inside the prison.

Francine: Where is he? Where is he?!

Daryl walks out of the cell and whistles for Francine. She runs to Daryl and looks into the cell.

Francine: (gasps) Oh my god!

She sees Richard's right arm gone and bandaged while Rick is sitting there donating his blood to Richard. Hershel is making sure everything is going smoothly. She also notices Richard's left hand is handcuffed to the bed. Eldin is sitting by Richard's bedside faithfully.

Daryl: Hershel took good care of Richard. The kid's gonna be fine.

Francine: How did this happen?

Daryl: During the supply run.

Francine: Where were you and Glenn? You guys didn't see the walker coming up to Richard?

Daryl: No...we all had our backs to the walker...I'm sorry, Franny.

Francine falls to the floor from weak legs, but Daryl catches her before she can hit the ground. She breaks down in Daryl's arms, afraid for Richard's life. They can hear little footsteps enter the prison with the sound of a cart being wheeled and animal footsteps following.

Mina: Franny?

Francine looks up hearing Mina's voice. Daryl helps Francine lean on the wall so she can look out the cell. She sees Mina standing there holding onto her toy cart tied with a dog saddle made of rope. Faron is right by her side, its snow white fur glistening in the darkness of the prison. A blanket is also stuffed into the cart.

Daryl: Stay outside, baby girl.

Mina stands there, and Francine takes in a deep breath. Francine wobbles over to Mina, gathering herself together as best she can before she talks to her baby sister. Francine kneels down to Mina.

Francine: Yes, baby?

Mina: Is Richard okay?

Francine: (weakly) Yeah...yeah, I think he will be. Hershel is taking good care of him. Let's go outside, baby.

Francine holds Mina's hand and they both walk out of the prison. Nayru comes running to them, and Mina smiles at the wolf as Nayru takes her place next to Francine. Francine picks up the fish on the floor and puts them back into the bucket. She washes the fish from the dirt, and she washes a knife thoroughly. She then starts to cut the fish to make sashimi.

* * *

><p><em>Francine: Alright, I'll see you at night, babe.<em>

_Richard: Okay. I'm sorry I couldn't get out of work today._

_Francine: (annoyed) Enough with the sorries, alright? It doesn't look good on you._

_Richard smiles and kisses Francine sweetly._

_Lance: Go, man! We'll keep Francine entertained while you're gone._

_Richard: Alright. Call me if you need anything._

_Richard sighs and walks into the film studio where he works. Jared then drives off to the fish market._

_Trevor: Goddamn, I hate the smell of fish. How the hell does Richard only eat fish, man?_

_Lance: I don't know. I never understood that about Richard._

_Jared: (to Francine) You know, we knew Richard before he became all pescatarian._

_Francine: Was he any different?_

_Jared: Well he was more fun. We'd eat burgers all the time. Now we gotta go to nice restaurants to get his fish._

_Francine: (shrugs) Richard has expensive tastes._

_Francine picks out different types of fish, and she pays for all of it. They all go back to Richard's place to prepare his house for his birthday._

Francine finishes cutting the fish and puts them onto a cleaned plate. Daryl comes out from the prison and walks over to Francine trying to decorate the plate as best she can with what she's got.

Daryl: Hey.

Francine: Hey. How is he?

Daryl: Can't really tell cus he's sleeping.

Francine: You're sure he's sleeping, right?

Daryl: Yeah. What's that?

Francine: Sashimi.

Daryl: What?

Francine: Raw fish.

Daryl: Oh. For the kid, huh? The pesca-something.

Francine: Pescatarian. Do you think he'll wake up in the next 3 hours?

Daryl: (scoffs) Maybe if you put the plate in front of him, he'll wake up faster for some good food.

Francine smiles and eats one for herself. Daryl can see she's struggling to eat.

Daryl: Not good?

Francine: No, it is. I'm just not so good at eating sashimi. I've only learned because Richard loves it.

Daryl: Don't worry, Franny. He's gonna be fine. Besides, Eldin is by his side protecting the kid.

Francine: ...why didn't Eldin protect Richard back then?

Daryl: The wolf ran into the forest with Nayru and Faron before it had happened. A wolf can only run so fast.

Francine: I guess the wolves can't really protect us then...

Daryl: They did protect Richard. They killed the walker before Glenn and I could. They tore it to shreds, and Eldin...well I ain't no wolf-whisperer but the wolf was upset that he let the kid get hurt. It was just bad timing on all parts.

_Richard comes back from work and enters his dark apartment. He turns on the light, and everyone shouts happy birthday. Francine runs over and kisses Richard sweetly as he wraps his arm around her waist surprised._

_Lance: Dude, look at what Francine made for you, man._

_Richard sees the plates of sashimi decorated nicely._

_Richard: Whoa! How'd you learn how to cut fish like this?_

_Francine: I asked Johnny to teach me._

_Richard looks at Francine with a smile, touched that she learned how to cut sashimi just for him._

_Jared: And look what we bought, man._

_Jared holds up 2 large sake bottles._

_All the guys: Sake bombs!_

_Francine: (rolls eyes) Yeah, because sake bombs totally up the fanciness of sashimi._

Francine walks over to Richard and sees him still asleep. Rick is still donating blood but Hershel stepped out for a moment. It pains her looking at Richard, imagining the suffering he must be going through. She quietly gets down on her knees next to Richard's bed and beside Rick on the chair. She rests her arms on the bed and rests her chin on her arms looking at Richard's missing arm.

Francine: Do you think he's gonna be okay?

Rick: Yeah, I do.

Francine: (looks at Rick) How are you sure?

Rick: Because something similar happened to Hershel. He was bit in the leg, and I amputated it. Obviously he's fine now, right?

Francine: (looks back at Richard) I guess. I just wish he'd wake up. I finished cutting the sashimi and it's gonna go bad in about 2 more hours.

Rick chortles.

Francine: Thanks for doing this for Richard, Rick. It means a lot to me.

Rick: It's not a problem. I wanted to help.

A knock echoes in the empty prison, and Rick and Francine look to see Maggie and Beth.

Maggie: Hey. How is he?

Francine: I guess he's okay.

Beth: We wanted to see how he was. And how you were.

Francine: I'm alright.

Maggie: You know...we tried really hard to stop your wolves, but they ate all your fish.

Francine scoffs and shakes her head. She digs her head into the bed, unable to stop laughing now. Maggie, Beth, and Rick look at one another worried for Francine's mental health. While laughing, Francine suddenly bursts into uncontrollable tears. For a few seconds, Francine loses it balling her eyes out.

Mina: Franny?

Francine can hear Mina walking in wheeling her toy cart. Francine quickly wipes her tears away and takes in a deep breath to calm down.

Beth: We'll take care of Mina.

Francine: No. I...I don't think I can stay in here right now. I should get some air.

Francine stands up and walks out of the cell towards Mina as Rick, Maggie, and Beth watch her.

_Richard, Francine, and the guys are all drunk out of their minds from the endless sake-bombs._

_Trevor: (slurs) Ey ey...let's-let's do one more._

_Richard: Dude, (laughs) I'm fucking drunk, man._

_Francine: Uh oh. (hiccups) Lance and Jared are-are knocked out._

_Trevor and Richard look to see Jared and Lance fast asleep on the floor knocked the hell out. Trevor sloppily pours sake into the cups and prepares the beers messily. He pushes the cups in front of Richard and Francine to make them take it. They all hold up their cups.  
><em>

_Trevor: To-to, uh...to Richard. My boy! We been (hiccup) we been together for-for like years, man. You my boy, Richard. And-and you-you never, never ever, had a girl that (hiccup) that we liked. They were always-always whores, stupid, or-or just plain bimbos. But Franny. Ah ha, Franny. She's a-a keeper, man. Keep her, man._

_Richard: Alright, cheers._

_Trevor and Francine: Cheers._

_The 3 gulf down their sake and beer, and Trevor knocks the hell out right after he takes the drink._

_Richard: (looks at Francine) You-you good to walk to bed?_

_Francine sighs and slowly wobbles onto her feet. She puts her hands out to balance herself, and Richard laughs at how funny Francine looks as if she's balancing herself on a tight rope. Francine gives a goofy laugh and wobbles into Richard's bedroom as he follows behind, bumping into the walls. Francine and Richard plop onto his bed, and Francine groans as she rolls onto her back. Francine holds Richard and digs her face into his chest, and he wraps his arm around her waist.  
><em>

_Francine: Mm...I like being with you, Richard._

_Richard: I like being with you too._

_In the next second, Francine and Richard fall asleep._


	7. Chapter 7

Richard slowly stirs awake and sees the bunk bed above his bed. He hears Eldin whimper. Richard looks to his right and his heart pounds hard in his chest when he sees that his right arm is missing and bandaged. Eldin is right by his side and hops onto his 4 feet. Eldin wags his tail, happy to see Richard awake. Richard looks to his left and sees that his hand is handcuffed to the bed post. Richard doesn't believe that he's alive after being bit, and he can't remember what happened after arriving back at the prison.

Francine: Ow.

Richard's heart pounds faster hearing Francine's voice above him.

Francine: Goddamn, Mina. Freaking thunder thighs.

Richard can see Francine's feet first climbing down the ladder, and his mouth slightly opens seeing Francine there groggy after being kicked awake by Mina. Francine gasps seeing Richard awake, still human and looking at her with a weak smile.

Francine: Richard!

Francine falls to her knees and cups Richard's face in her hands.

Francine: (forms tears) Richard, I'm so glad you're awake.

Richard: How long was I out?

Francine: A day. Are you hurting anywhere? I should get you water.

Richard: No. No, don't leave me.

Francine kisses Richard's lips sweetly, and she climbs the ladder back to the top bunk. She shakes Mina to wake her up.

Francine: Mina. Mina, wake up now.

Mina whines and groans.

Francine: Richard's awake. Go get Rick and bring him here.

Mina: Richard's awake?

Francine: Yes. You need to go and get Rick now.

Francine climbs back down and so does Mina. Richard smiles seeing the little angel's face glow brightly seeing that he's finally awake.

Mina: Richard!

Mina jumps onto his bed and hugs him.

Richard: (smiles) Hey Mina. I'm sorry if I worried you.

Mina: I was so scared. But I'm happy you're okay now.

Francine: Mina, go get Rick now. We need to get the handcuff off of Richard.

Mina: (nods) Okay.

Mina kisses Richard's cheek first and then walks off. Richard smiles at Mina's adorable gesture, and Francine sits by his side...Mina runs out of the prison and looks to the garden. She sees that Rick isn't there, but Carl is. Mina runs over to Carl, and Carl smiles seeing Mina.

Carl: Good morning, Mina.

Mina: Good morning, Carl. Where is your dad?

Carl: He's with the pigs. Do you need him?

Mina: (nods) Uh huh. Richard's awake!

Carl: (excited) He's awake? Really? Okay, I'll go get my dad and you go back into the prison, alright?

Mina: Okay!

Mina runs back into the prison while Carl runs to Rick. Rick is in the pig's area with Hershel checking on the pigs' condition. One of the pigs is sick, and that's why Rick asked Hershel to check it out. The pig is lying on its side, breathing very slowly.

Hershel: It looks like its come down with something.

Rick: It looks like it won't make it.

Hershel: I don't think it will.

Rick: Do you think animals can turn?

Hershel: I don't know. I'd sure hope not.

Rick: What do you think got it sick?

Hershel: It could be a lot of different things. The mud, water, food, anything. We should remove this pig from the pen. It could infect the others.

Rick: We should get rid of all the pigs. I don't want to take the chance that they'll all come down with something.

Hershel nods, agreeing with Rick.

Carl: Dad!

Rick and Hershel look to see Carl running to them.

Carl: (breathless) Dad, Richard's awake!

Hershel: (to Rick) Go with the army medic. Carl and I will take care of these pigs.

Carl: Why? Is something wrong with them?

Rick walks off towards the prison while Carl and Hershel get rid of all the pigs. Rick sees Bob sitting there near the entrance alone, just staring out at the walkers outside the fenced gates.

Rick: Bob?

Bob: Yeah?

Rick: Richard's awake. Can you take a look at him for me?

Bob: Oh yeah. Yeah, sure!

Rick and Bob walk into the prison together...

Francine: You sure you don't need anything? Not even water?

Richard: No. I just need you by my side. I scared you, huh?

Francine: Scared? Pf, no...you petrified me.

Richard scoffs.

Richard: I'm sorry babe. I should've been more careful.

Francine: Shit happens. But Richard...you know I need you.

Richard: I know, I know.

Francine: You really, really scared the shit out of me. I mean...I thought I was gonna lose you. I need you with me, Richard. I don't know if I can be in this world without you.

Richard: Hey hey, c'mon. What kind of talk is that? You gotta think about Mina.

Francine: I know. It's just...you're my everything, Richard. You've been with me since day 1.

Richard: And I'm still here, aren't I?

Francine: Yeah...

Francine and Richard hear little footsteps running, and Mina comes running into the cell.

Francine: Where's Rick?

Mina: Carl's getting him.

Mina hops onto Richard's bed and sits near his stomach. She pets Eldin happily. Francine tucks Mina's hair behind her ear.

Francine: She was really worried too. She couldn't eat yesterday.

Richard: Really?

Francine: Yeah. She wanted to sleep next to you, but I made her sleep with me up top.

Richard: (smiles weakly and looks at Mina) Aw. I feel so loved.

Francine: (chortles) You are.

Richard: (looks up at Francine) You look tired, babe.

Francine: I am. Yesterday was the longest day of my life.

Richard: (imitates 24 theme) Dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun.

Francine: Shut up, Richard. It's not funny.

Richard: I think it's pretty funny.

Mina: (to Francine) Don't be mean to Richard, Franny. Be nice.

Richard: Yeah, Franny. Be nice. I just had one of the worst days of my life yesterday. Give a guy a break, will ya?

Mina: Yeah. Give a guy a break, will ya?

Richard: (laughs heartily) That's my superstar.

Mina flashes a glowing grin at Richard. They can hear more footsteps, and Rick and Bob enter the cell.

Rick: Hey, good to see you awake, Richard.

Richard: Good to be awake, man. So uh, mind getting this handcuff off of me?

Rick: Sorry about that. We just had to be sure.

Richard: I get it.

Rick takes the handcuff off of Richard's left wrist, and Bob takes a step forward.

Bob: Alright. I'm gonna unwrap the bandages and see how your arm's healing. (to Francine) Just to let you know, it might smell pretty bad.

Francine: Hey, you're talking to a person who cleaned up (looks at Mina) this one's poop when she was a baby. I can handle any smell.

Bob: (chortles) Alright.

Francine gets off the chair so Bob can sit. He unwraps Richard's bandages cautiously.

Bob: So how you feeling, man?

Richard: I feel fine. It's a little funny though with my arm gone.

Bob: You right-handed or left?

Richard: Right.

Bob: Oh man. Gotta start learning how to use your left, huh?

Richard: Yeah.

Bob: Alright, here we go.

Bob unwraps the last of the bandage, and Francine tries her best to look normal but clearly she's disgusted. Rick also winces at the sight of Richard's arm, and Mina doesn't even try to hide the disgust on her face.

Mina: Ew!

Francine: Hey!

Bob: Alright, it looks like its healing well.

Francine: _That's _well?

Bob: Yup. I mean, it's not as well as I'd hope but it's healing. All we gotta do is wash it and re-bandage it. (to Francine) I need a big bowl of water and some dispensable towels.

Francine: (nods) On it. (to Mina) C'mon, let's go.

Francine walks out with Mina while Rick and Bob stay with Richard. Francine grabs a bowl and hands it over to Mina. The two walk out of the prison towards the outer fence where the stream runs through. Mina looks at the walkers at the outer fenced gates.

Mina: There's so many of them.

Francine looks at the outer fence where there's much more walkers than before, almost an abnormally larger than normal amount.

Francine: Mina, go in and get my shield and sword.

Mina: Okay.

Mina puts the bowl down and runs back into the prison. She comes back out with Francine's shield and sword she found at the pawn shop. Francine puts the shield on her arm and walks towards the walkers while Mina fetches water in the bowl. Francine pushes against the fence with her sword as she kills the walkers with her sword.

Mina: Okay, I got it.

Francine: Alright, go back in and give this to the doctor.

Mina: Okay.

Mina walks back into the prison with the bowl of water, and Francine takes a step back from the walkers. She sees the 3 wolves lunge at the walkers to alleviate their presence against the outer fence. While the 3 wolves are exterminating the walkers, Francine gets curious. She wonders why suddenly the walkers are starting to gang up especially in one area of the fence. She thinks that if anything, the walkers should be spread out. Francine goes on her knees and inspects the ground.

Francine: Huh...

Francine sees 4 dead rats around the gates. She notes the rats and watches the 3 wolves working together to rid of the walkers. Francine walks back into the prison with her shield and sword to see how Richard's doing. She sees Mina sitting by Richard on his bed while Bob is washing his amputated arm.

Francine: (sets her shield and sword down on the ground) Is everything alright here?

Bob: Just washing.

Francine: Alright. I'll be right back then.

Richard: Where are you going?

Francine: I'm gonna go talk to Rick. I'll be right back.

Francine walks out and sees Patrick coughing his lungs out.

Francine: Whoa, Patrick. You don't look so good, man.

Patrick: (sick) I-I'm fine.

Francine: Uh, clearly you're not. You should just try to get some rest.

Patrick: No, no I'm fine.

Francine: Patrick, listen to me. You're sick. And if you keep trying to fight it, you're just gonna get other people sick. Now, none of us here want to get sick, alright? I mean, we already got so much shit going on and the last thing any of us need to worry about is getting infected by whatever you got. So please, just go to bed and get rest. I'll bring you your dinner if you don't wake up by then, alright?

Patrick: O-Okay then.

Francine: Good. Now go.

Francine watches Patrick walking off to his cell to go to sleep. She then walks around to find Rick, and she sees him disposing of the pigs by feeding them to the walkers. She can see that there's an abnormal amount of walkers near the fence here too, and Francine finds it strange. There hasn't been a case like this before where a large group of walkers gather around the fences since ever. Francine walks over to Rick, and she grabs a piece of the pig and helps Rick dispose of it.

Rick: How's Richard?

Francine: He's fine. Mina and the doctor are with him. So why are you getting rid of these pigs?

Rick: One of them got sick, and I didn't want to take the chance that they were all sick.

Francine looks at the pig's foot she's holding in her hand.

Francine: How sick were they?

Rick: It looked like it was gonna die.

Rick looks at Francine staring at the pig's foot.

Rick: What is it?

Francine: Uh...nothing. (tosses the pig's foot over the fence) What do you think made the pig sick?

Rick: Could be anything. The food, water, mud.

Francine: Right. Well uh, you know near the back of the prison where the stream runs through, there were a whole bunch of walkers trying to break down the fence. The wolves killed most of them off though.

Rick: That's good. They're finally coming handy, huh?

Francine: Yeah. But uh, I also noticed something weird. There were like 4 dead rats around the fences. I think that's why the walkers were there.

Rick: Rats?

Francine: Yeah. I mean, maybe there's rats around here too. That's why there are so many of them here.

Rick looks at the ground and spots a rat outside of the fences.

Rick: (points to the rat) You see that?

Francine: Yeah. Someone's been putting rats around the fences. (to Rick) What do we do?

Rick: ...for now, let's keep this to ourselves.

Francine: Wait, but this doesn't make sense. The ones I saw in the back, the rats were inside the fence. I mean, I picked them up by their tails. These are outside the fence...so someone inside _and _outside is leaving dead rats for the walkers?

Rick: I'm not sure. But I wouldn't be surprised if someone out there is the one putting rats around the fences here.

Francine: Wait wait...who would want to make the walkers invade the prison?

Rick: The Governor.

Francine opens her mouth to say something but doesn't know what to say.

Rick: For now, Francine, you need to keep this quiet. I'm going to let Glenn, Daryl, and Hershel know. But we don't want to cause a panic in here. These people, they know how cruel and vindictive the Governor is. They'll be scared if they find out he's trying to destroy what we've built here.

Francine nods her head and helps Rick finish feeding the walkers the pigs...During dinner, Francine grabs a plate to bring to Patrick. She walks into the prison and heads over to Patrick's cell.

Francine: Hey Patrick, brought you some dinner.

Francine sees Patrick still sleeping. She walks into his cell and puts the plate down next to his bed. She looks back at him to see how he's doing, and she notices blood dripping down his mouth onto his pillow.

Francine: Jesus. What a mess.

Francine leaves Patrick sleeping, hoping that he feels better in the morning.

* * *

><p><em>Richard wakes up with a major hangover. He doesn't see Francine with him in bed, and he slowly gets up groaning in pain. He sees Francine lying on the ground watching <em>_24 on his computer with earphones in. He smiles weakly and plops back onto bed looking at Francine watching 24 intently._

_Francine: (gasps) Oh no. No no, you can't die._

_Richard chortles at Francine talking to herself. Francine gasps again and puts her hand over her mouth, shocked at what just happened in the scene._

_Francine: Oh god, no. (groans) Ugh, I can't watch this anymore.  
><em>

_Francine takes off the earphones and sighs, putting her hands on her head to massage it._

_Richard: It's intense, isn't it?_

_Francine looks back and smiles seeing Richard barely awake._

_Francine: I feel like they always use viruses for terrorist attacks._

_Richard: It's the most lethal, wouldn't you say?_

_Francine: I guess. But it's just...always a virus, you know?_

_Richard: Yeah, I get what you mean._

_Francine: So how you feeling? Head hurts?_

_Richard: Like a bomb going off._

_Francine: Aw._

_Francine kisses Richard's cheek._

_Richard: How are you functioning?_

_Francine: I'm...just kinda used to drinking, I guess. Me and the other accountants in my firm always go out for beer after work._

_Richard: Are you an alcoholic?_

_Francine: What? No! No, I'm not._

_Richard: No wonder why you had a whole bottle of champagne to yourself on the flight here._

_Francine: Richard! I'm not an alcoholic!_

_Richard: Okay, okay, whatever you say._

_Francine slaps Richard on the back playfully, and he just smiles at her._

_Francine: Let's go wake up the guys!_

Eldin howls loudly, waking up Richard, Francine, and Mina in the middle of the night. Richard and Francine are on the bottom bunk while Mina is on the top bunk by herself.

Richard: God, shut up, Eldin!

Eldin stops howling and snarls angrily. Francine quickly opens her eyes and gets out of bed.

Richard: Babe, where you going?

Francine looks out her cell and gasps. She sees that people living in the cell block with her have turned into walkers for some reason. Francine runs back into the cell and shuts the cell bars, but she knows they don't lock. Francine quickly grabs her shield and sword, and Richard sits up worriedly.

Richard: What's going on?

Francine: Walkers. The people in here have turned.

Richard: What?

Francine: Just get back, Richard.

Richard: Francine-

Francine: (looks back at Richard sternly) Stay back with Mina. Protect her.

Richard knows he won't be of much help to Francine with just one arm, so he quickly climbs up the ladder to Mina. Eldin takes his stance next to Francine as the walkers shove the cell bars aside.

Mina: (groggily) Richard?

Richard: Mina, baby you gotta be quiet right now, okay?

Mina gasps hearing the snarl of walkers and the sound of metal slashing away at flesh. Mina is about to peer over Richard to see what's happening, but Richard stops her. With his left hand, he holds Mina close so that she doesn't see what's going on as he watches Francine protecting them. Francine puts up the shield to block the walkers from getting into the cell while she kills the walkers that are close with her sword. Eldin snarls and watches Francine getting rid of the walkers, and she's getting weak unable to keep up killing the walkers. With all her strength, Francine pushes the shield against the wall to keep the walkers from getting in.

Francine: Eldin, Eldin go and get help now!

Eldin runs past Francine's legs and the walkers' legs. The walkers pay no attention to Eldin as he runs out to get help.

Richard: (to Francine) Babe, hold on. (to Mina) You stay right here Mina, do you understand?

Mina: (nods) Okay.

Richard climbs back down the ladder and helps Francine push against the walkers with her shield. They're away from the walker's grasp behind the shield, and they keep it up until they can hear shouting. They know that Eldin brought back help. After a few minutes Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and Tyreese have killed all the walkers in the cell block, distraught that their fellow group members were the ones who turned. Francine finally puts down the shield, and Eldin comes running back into the cell and stands in-between Richard and Francine. Richard kneels down to Eldin and pets him with his left arm. Eldin pants happily.

Richard: Good job, Eldin. You saved us, man.

Eldin licks Richard's hand, wagging its tail. Rick runs to their cell, covered in walker blood holding onto a machete.

Rick: You all okay?

Francine: (breathless) Yeah, we're fine. Our people...they turned.

They all look to the dead walkers on the floor, looking at their turned friends dead.

Francine: (to Rick) We can't sleep here, not with this mess in here.

Rick: (nods) Come with us to our cell block. We'll figure out everything in the morning when we have light.

Mina climbs down into Richard's arm while Francine walks off with her sword and shield. They follow Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and Tyreese to their cell block to get some rest after a tiresome night.

* * *

><p>The sun rises, and Francine is the first to wake up. She steps out of the prison and is greeted by a large group of walkers at the fences trying to push it down. Francine winces thinking about last night. It was a close call, and they were lucky to have Eldin warn them about the imminent attack.<p>

Daryl: Hey.

Francine looks back and sees Daryl.

Francine: Hey.

Daryl: You okay?

Francine: Yeah.

Daryl: A lotta stuff's been going on lately, huh?

Francine: Tell me about it. I wonder how they all turned into walkers.

Daryl: We'll figure it out when we clean up in there.

Francine: I'm gonna help you guys.

Daryl: You sure?

Francine: Yeah. Mina will be fine with Carol. I want to find out what made them turn.

Daryl: (nods) Alright. Let's get rid of (looks to the outer fence) those walkers first.

Francine: Yeah.

Francine grabs her sword while Daryl grabs a machete. They start killing off the walkers pushing against the fence until Rick, Glenn, and Hershel wake up. The 3 head out towards Daryl and Francine killing off the last of the walkers. When Daryl and Francine are done, they walk over to Rick, Glenn, and Hershel. They all wait for Tyreese to wake up so that he can help them clear the walkers from the cell block. When Tyreese wakes up, they all head into the cell block and start getting rid of the dead walkers. Francine hears a snarl, and she looks to see a walker locked inside a cell.

Francine: That's Charlie...

Rick: Why's he locked in the cell?

Francine: He does that because he sleepwalks. But...that means he wasn't bit.

Glenn: That doesn't make sense. How can you turn if you're not bit?

The group looks at Charlie snarling at them. Francine notices blood all over the floor like it was thrown up. She gets on her knees and looks at the blood splatter on the floor. Francine then looks up at Charlie and sees blood stains on his mouth and the upper part of his shirt.

Francine: Where's Patrick?

Glenn: He's dead. He turned.

Tyreese: How do you think Charlie turned in there?

Francine: They must've become sick.

Glenn: Sick?

Francine: (frustrated) Goddamn it. I should've said something earlier.

Rick: What are you talking about?

Francine: Yesterday, Patrick was really sick. The guy was like coughing violently, and I just thought he had a flu. Then when I went in to give him dinner, I saw blood on his mouth. I didn't think whatever he had would kill him and spread like an airborne virus. I'm sorry guys. If I had said something earlier, none of this would've happened.

Hershel: We can't get hung up on what if's right now. We have to focus on this virus that's killed nearly half our people. It's evident that this virus is air-borne because of what happened to Charlie. That means many more of us have the chance of being infected, especially the children and elders in the group.

Francine: The children?

Hershel: Their immune system isn't as fully developed as an adult's. They'll be especially vulnerable to infection.

Glenn: We'll need medical supplies to fight off this virus, right?

Hershel: (nods) Yes.

Daryl: There's a medical college South of here, about 20,30 miles. I can go get the supplies with the car.

Rick: Not yet. We have to take care of what's going on here first. If this virus is air-borne, then all the people who slept in this cell block have a chance of getting sick. We're going to have to start asking last night's survivors how they feel, see if any of them show flu-like symptoms.

Rick, Hershel, Daryl, and Tyreese look at Glenn and Francine who were last night's survivors.

Francine: I feel fine, really.

Glenn: Me too.

Rick: If any of the others feel sick, then we'll have to quarantine them.

Tyreese: Where?

Glenn: How about Cell Block A? We don't use it for anything.

Rick: (nods) We'll put them in Cell Block A. We can go out for the medical supplies tomorrow after helping out in here. Daryl, you can prepare for the run tomorrow and let me know who's going to come with you. Hershel will make you a list of what we need. Does everyone agree?

Everyone agrees with Rick's plan. They all finish cleaning up the cell block so that they can start asking around if anyone is feeling sick at all.

* * *

><p>Richard watches Mina playing with Lizzie and Mika. He sees Faron trotting to Mina's side, so he decides to approach Michionne who is meditating with her katana.<p>

Richard: Hey.

Michionne: (continues to stare out to the walkers) Hey.

Richard: So...meditating?

Michionne: (looks at Richard) Yeah.

Richard: Mind if I sit with you?

Michionne looks forward again, and Richard sits next to her on the grass. All he can hear are the snarls of walkers.

Richard: Hard to meditate with the walkers huh?

Michionne: No, not at all.

Richard: Well...you probably already guessed but I came to ask you something. I wanted to know if you could teach me how to use a sword.

Michionne: (looks at Richard) Why?

Richard: (shrugs) I just...I think it would be helpful.

Michionne: You know how to use a gun. Why a sword?

Richard: Guns won't help me anymore. You need two hands to control it. But at least with a sword, I just need one hand.

Michionne: And what do I get in return?

Richard: What do you want?

Michionne: Your wolf.

Richard: (surprised) What?

Michionne: At least for a while. I want it to help me track down someone.

Richard: Who?

Michionne: None of your concern.

Richard: You got anything that belonged to that person?

Michionne: ...no.

Richard: Then I don't know how much Eldin can help you.

Michionne: I still want your wolf to try.

Richard: Uh...okay, yeah sure. I mean, I can't promise anything but I'll make sure he tries.

Michionne: (nods) Then you got a deal.

Michionne puts out her hand, and Richard shakes it.

Richard: When can we start?

* * *

><p>Francine enters the cell and sees Mina sleeping on the bottom bunk with Faron by her side. So far the only two people who are showing symptoms of illness are Karen and David. Francine felt bad when she watched Tyreese saying goodbye to Karen because the two had just started being affectionate with one another. It was painful for Francine to watch Karen walk into cell block A alone, waving to Tyreese as if promising she'll get better soon. Francine sighs and is about to climb up to her bed when Mina coughs violently in her sleep. Francine freezes and looks at Mina. Faron whimpers lightly to Mina, and Francine goes on her knees to look at Mina. She can see Mina sweating and pale as if she is coming down with the flu. Francine can hear Rick and Daryl entering the cell block, and Mina coughs again. Rick and Daryl walk towards Francine's cell, and they watch Mina coughing. Francine looks back at them.<p>

Daryl: She's sick.

Francine: I'll go in with her to cell block A.

Rick: You could get infected.

Francine: Then so be it. I'm not going to leave Mina alone. I'm staying with her.

Daryl: Are you sure that's a good idea?

Francine: No...but it's all I can do. She'll be so scared if I leave her alone.

Rick and Daryl look at one another. They don't like Francine's decision to stay with Mina in the quarantine block, but they understand why she must do it.

Daryl: You should let the kid know.

Francine: (nods) Yeah. Just give me a minute, then I'll take her to quarantine.

Rick and Daryl move out of the way so Francine can find Richard. She sees him walking straight toward her to walk into the prison. Richard smiles seeing Francine.

Richard: (smiles) Hey babe.

Francine: Hey.

Richard: The sword's still in the cell, right?

Francine: Yeah. Why do you want the sword?

Richard: Oh, Michionne's gonna help me learn how to deal with a sword.

Francine: Oh, why?

Richard: What do you mean why?

Francine: I mean why do you want to learn how to deal with a sword?

Richard: (shrugs) I don't know. I just think it'll be good for me, you know? I can't use a gun cus I don't have my good arm, so the next best thing is to use a sword, right? I mean, I gotta know how to fight with _something_, don't you think babe?

Francine: Uh...yeah, sure. Listen, um...(deep breath) Mina's sick.

Richard's face darkens dramatically.

Richard: ...what...y-you mean like the-the infection? She's infected?

Francine: I think so. She's coughing a lot. We're moving her into quarantine.

Richard: No, no she can't go in there. She'll be alone, by herself. And she'll get even more sick if she's around Karen and David. I mean, she's just a baby, Francine. She can't fight the infection the way we can.

Francine: She won't be alone. I'm gonna go with her.

Richard: What?!

Francine: You're right. Mina would be alone with people who could get her even more sick. And you're right about her immune system. She could be the first to go out of all of us. That's why I need to be there for her. She can't do this by herself.

Richard: No. No! No, you can't go in there!

Francine: I'm not asking for your permission, Richard.

Richard: (grabs Francine's arm frustrated) Francine, you're gonna get sick if you do this. You could get infected!

Francine: I _won't _leave Mina to be alone. She'll need me by her side; I need to take care of her. Besides, Daryl's getting the medication tomorrow when the car's ready. He'll come back with the medicine.

Richard: But what if he doesn't? What if there isn't any medicine left?

Francine: Then I'll figure something out. I'm doing this, Richard. I have to.

Francine kisses Richard lightly on the lips and walks back into the prison to get Mina as Richard watches helplessly. He follows behind Francine and he watches her wake Mina up with Rick and Daryl in the cell. Mina stirs awake and sees everyone in the cell with her.

Francine: Hey sweetheart. How are you feeling?

Mina: Bad. (coughs)

Francine: (brushes Mina's hair out of her face) Oh, I know, baby. That's why I'm gonna stay with you from now on and take are of you, okay?

Mina: Okay.

Francine: Okay, come here, baby.

Francine picks up Mina in her arms and walks out. Francine walks towards cell block A, and she stops to look at Richard. She can see how upset he is by her decision, and he's even more upset that there's nothing he can do about it.

Francine: (sighs) I'll see you later, babe.

Richard: Please...please, don't get sick, okay?

Francine: (smiles) Yeah.

Richard and Francine share one last kiss, and Rick opens the door for Francine. She slowly walks into cell block A with Mina in her arms, and she hears the door close shut behind her.


	8. Chapter 8

_Richard is on the phone with the producer he's working with on his latest film. Francine is just sitting on the couch watching 24 while Richard is pacing back and forth angrily._

_Richard: (angry) No, Robin. I told you I'm not gonna be in for the rest of the week...dude, no man. My girlfriend's in town from California...I don't give a shit if it's for 30 minutes or a goddamn hour. I can't work on the film tonight...fuck, man! Are you fucking kidding me right now?!...(sighs angrily) I'll give you a call back._

_Richard hangs up the phone and Francine looks at him._

_Francine: You can go, Richard._

_Richard: No. I told the producer I wasn't going to work for the rest of the week.  
><em>

_Richard gets a call and he sighs._

_Richard: (answers the phone) What, Jen?...yeah, I know, but I can't...no, no, Jen, I'm not...(long sigh) This is crazy, you know that? I sent in a notice 2 weeks ago...fine. Fine...okay. Bye.  
><em>

_Richard hangs up and shakes his head._

_Francine: You gonna go?_

_Richard: Yeah, I have to. Scheduling conflicts. I'm real sorry about this, Francine._

_Francine: (smiles) Hey, no worries. Just come back to me when you're done._

_Richard leans down and kisses Francine on her lips. She watches him leave the apartment, and she takes out her laptop. Francine sees her siblings are online, and she Skypes them. Francine smiles seeing Jenny, Philip, and Johnny crowd around the computer to fit into the screen._

_Francine: Hey guys!_

_Jenny, Philip, and Johnny: Hey Franny! How's Canada?  
><em>

_Francine: It's good. It's real beautiful here. How's home?_

_Philip: It's fine. Mom and dad are back from Europe, but they're sleeping. They're dead tired from their trip._

_Francine: Tch. Old people._

_Johnny: That's why you travel when you're young._

_Jenny: Where's Richard?_

_Francine: Out at work._

_Philip: Why's he working when you're there?_

_Francine: He had to. Something about a scheduling conflict._

_Philip: Didn't he plan this ahead of time? You paid a lot of money to get to Canada, and this guy is off working?_

_Francine: (rolls eyes) It wasn't his fault, Philip. He just got the phone call right now. And just to let you know, he gave the people at work a notice 2 weeks ago that I was gonna be here. Shit just happens sometimes._

_Johnny: You'd think the guy could've put in a little more effort to get out of work for you._

_Jenny: (hits Philip and Johnny in the arm) Shut up, you two. Richard didn't plan for this to happen._

_Francine: Yeah!_

_Johnny: Well you know if it was me, I could've gotten out of work._

_Francine: (sarcastic) Oh yeah, with your manly charm and undeniable way of words, huh. Yeah, you could totally get out of work whenever you want. Oh! But I seem to recall my 21st birthday when a certain someone couldn't get out of work to celebrate with me. Hm, now who was that again?_

_Johnny: Dude, that was a long time ago._

_Francine: That was 2 years ago. Not that long ago, man._

_Johnny: Whatever. I'm just saying Richard should've been more thoughtful. At least bring you with him or something._

_Francine: Why? So I could watch him direct a movie when I can just sit here comfortably watching 24? Yeah, what a great boyfriend you'd be, Johnny.  
><em>

Richard walks to the Tombs in Cell Block A, and he stops at the window looking into the cell block. He knocks on the window, hoping someone will hear his knocking. He doesn't see anyone walking out of their rooms, so he pounds on the window. Richard sees Faron trotting out, its white fur in stark contrast with the darkness of the Tombs.

Richard: (smiles) Hey, buddy.

Faron stops in front of the window and looks up at Richard.

Richard: Are Mina and Francine okay?

The wolf just looks up at Richard, and he sighs. Richard wishes he could just walk into Cell Block A to check up on Francine, but he knows it won't be wise because Francine would just be pissed at him for putting his life at risk like that. He knows it's never wise to piss off Francine with such stupid, selfish, and thoughtless decisions. Richard smiles at Faron and walks off to the courtyard of the prison. He spots Daryl first.

Richard: Hey.

Daryl: Hey kid.

Richard: So, are you ready to head out?

Daryl: In a bit. Waiting for Tyreese, Bob, and Michionne to show up. D'you check up on Franny and Mina?

Richard: Yeah, but they weren't awake. I only saw Faron.

Daryl: Where's Eldin?

Richard: I don't know. Out in the forest probably with Michionne or hunting. Eldin's getting big, huh?

Daryl: A lot bigger than the other two, that's for sure. More powerful too. I took him hunting once, just pounced on a deer and killed it right there with one bite to the neck.

Richard: Yeah, Eldin's definitely the strongest out of the 3.

Richard spots Rick and Hershel walking out of the prison with Glenn waking up a bit later. Richard, Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and Hershel are in the courtyard discussing Daryl's trip to the college South of the prison to retrieve medication for the sick. During the middle of their conversation, Tyreese storms up to the 5 angrily. Tyreese looks like he's going to punch someone in the face.

Tyreese: Karen and David are dead!

Rick: What?

Tyreese: I went to go see Karen in the Tombs, but I saw trails of blood that led out of the cell block to the back of the prison. Karen and David's bodies are there, _burnt_! They were murdered in cold blood!

Richard: J-Just Karen and David?

Tyreese: (to Rick) You _better_ find out who killed them and bring him to me.

Rick: Look, why don't we just calm down-

Tyreese: (furious) Don't tell me to calm down, man! Somebody in this goddamn prison _murdered _Karen! They set her body on fire! They burned her and David!

Daryl: Look man, we'll find out who killed Karen and David, alright? You just need to take a break for a while. We gotta get ready for the supply run, remember?

Tyreese: Screw your goddamn supply run.

Tyreese storms off angrily.

Richard: I'll talk to him.

Richard walks towards Tyreese while Daryl walks off to gather Michionne and Bob for their trip to the college for medical supplies. Richard sees Tyreese starting to dig up two graves for Karen and David. Richard walks over to Tyreese cautiously.

Richard: Hey, man.

Tyreese: (doesn't look up from digging) Francine and Mina are fine.

Richard is secretly very relieved of this news, but he knows he has to encourage Tyreese to go on the supply run because Mina and Francine depend on it.

Richard: I'm sorry about Karen.

Tyreese doesn't answer. He just continues digging feverishly.

Richard: You know...a lot of our people depend on those medical supplies.

Tyreese: (glares at Richard) Like who? Franny and Mina? Just the _two_ people _you _care about?

Richard: It's not only them. I mean, there's a chance other people could get sick. What if Sasha got sick? That medicine is the only thing that could save her and the other people who'll get sick later.

Tyreese shakes his head and continues digging. Richard can see he's slowly getting into Tyreese's head.

Richard: And what if I get sick, man? Who's gonna play basketball with you and hand your ass to you on a silver platter?

Tyreese pauses and wipes his sweat from his forehead. Richard can see he got to Tyreese.

Richard: Come on, Tyreese. The people here need your help. Will you help us?

Tyreese: (looks at Richard) I'll go. Only _after_ they're in the ground.

Richard nods and grabs the second shovel to help Tyreese dig Karen and David's grave.

Tyreese: You don't have to help me, kid.

Richard: Why? Cus I got one arm? I can still help around here.

Tyreese looks at Richard digging with his left arm as effectively as he can, and Tyreese continues digging too.

* * *

><p><em>Francine finishes the 4th season of 24, and she sighs. She looks at the time, and it's 8:30 PM. Richard's home phone rings, and she doesn't answer so that it goes straight to messages.<em>

_Richard: Francine, Francine, answer the phone._

_Francine leans over and answers Richard's home phone._

_Francine: Hey._

_Richard: Hey. I just finished work. Wanna drink tonight?_

_Francine: Sure!_

_Richard: Good. Cus my friends wanna buy us some drinks. That's alright with you, right?_

_Francine: Yeah, yeah that's fine._

_Richard: Alright. I'll be there in about 20 minutes. Get ready babe._

_Francine: (giggles) Alright. See you._

_Francine hangs up and quickly gets ready. While she's putting on her make-up, she hears Richard enter his apartment._

_Francine: Richard?_

_Richard: It's me._

_Richard walks into his bedroom and sees Francine putting on her make-up and fixing her hair. Francine smiles at Richard from the mirror. Richard watches Francine as he leans against the wall, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face.  
><em>

_Francine: (smiles) Hey._

_Richard: (smiles) Hey._

_Francine: So, which one do you like? This?  
><em>

_Francine puts up an outfit to her body._

_Francine: Or this?_

_She puts up a different outfit to her body._

_Richard: They both look good._

_Francine: No, pick one._

_Richard: I can't. They're both pretty on you._

_Francine: (smiles shyly) I can't decide which to wear. Ugh, I'll just finish my make-up first then._

_Richard walks to his bed and rests on it while watching Francine finishing her hair and make-up. Richard smiles watching Francine debate to herself which outfit to wear. He notices it's getting a bit late, but he doesn't mind. He'd rather spend his time alone with Francine than to spend it with others. Francine can see Richard looking at her through the mirror, and she gets shy again seeing the look on his face. She turns around to look at him, holding her two outfits in each hand.  
><em>

_Francine: Can't you just pick one for me?_

_Richard: Babe, you'll look good in anything._

_Francine: (chortles) Babe?_

_Richard smiles and Francine sighs._

_Francine: Fine, I'll go with this one. (looks back at Richard) Turn around._

_Richard: Turn around?_

_Francine: Yeah, don't watch me dress._

_Richard: You serious?_

_Francine: (giggles) Yes. Look away._

_Richard rolls to his side so that he doesn't watch Francine changing. She looks at Richard while she's changing into her outfit, and she feels an urge to leap on top of Richard and kiss him. Francine suddenly gets this uncontrollable urge to get on top of Richard and make love to him. All they've done so far was kiss and foreplay, but Francine desperately wants Richard to be inside her._

_Francine: Okay, you can turn around now._

_Richard rolls onto his back and looks at Francine. He smirks seeing her in her nice outfit. Francine twirls once prettily, and it grabs Richard's heart._

_Francine: You like?_

_Richard: I like._

Francine is sitting beside the bed watching Mina sleeping. Mina coughs in her sleep and wheezes terribly. Francine hears footsteps behind her, and she turns back to see Faron and Nayru trotting into the room. Faron whimpers and Nayru sits by Francine's side. Faron lies down on the bed right next to Mina. Francine pets Nayru.

Francine: Nayru, go help Daryl with the supply run. Make sure they bring back the medicine, okay?

Nayru whimpers lightly and trots out of the room. Faron just lies next to Mina. Mina coughs so violently she wakes herself up. She groans in pain, and she starts to cry helplessly.

Francine: Hey, hey Mina. I'm right here.

Mina: (crying) It hurts, Franny.

Francine: What hurts? Where does it hurt?

Mina: Everywhere. Everywhere hurts.

Francine: Sweetheart, Daryl and the others are going to get medicine right now. They'll come back and make you feel better, okay?

Francine hears the front metal door open, and she steps out of her room to see Glenn, Sasha, and Lizzie walk into the cell block with Carol wearing a bandana over her mouth.

Francine: What's going on?

Glenn, Sasha, and Lizzie are all starting to show symptoms of the flu as they all look terribly pale and are coughing.

Francine: You're all sick too?

Glenn: (weakly) How's Mina?

Francine: Not good. Did Daryl leave yet?

Glenn: When Tyreese and Richard are done burying Karen and David.

Francine: W-What? What do you mean burying Karen and David?

Glenn: You...don't know?

Francine: What happened? They died from the virus?

Glenn: No. No, they were killed. Their bodies were burned.

Francine: (shocked) What?

Glenn: Someone came in last night and killed them.

Francine: W-Why?

Glenn: I don't know.

Francine watches Glenn walking off to get some rest. Francine wobbles back into Mina's room, and she sees Mina sleeping with Faron by her side. She sits down next to Mina and wonders why the killer left Mina and Francine alone...Richard helps Tyreese bury Karen and David into the ground. They both look at the burned bodies in the hole.

Richard: Wanna say a few words?

Tyreese: No.

Tyreese just stares at the graves, and after a few moments he walks off to Daryl, Michionne, and Bob. Rick walks up to Richard as they both watch the 4 preparing the car for the run.

Richard: D'you find anything yet?

Rick: I haven't started. There was a problem with the water supply.

Richard: How are you gonna start investigating?

Rick: Start with the people close to Karen.

Before Tyreese heads off with Daryl, Michionne, and Bob for the supplies, Richard and Rick walk up to Tyreese.

Rick: Tyreese, I know today's been a difficult day for you, but I have to ask you something about Karen. Did you notice anyone she didn't get along with?

Tyreese: No, no she's a sweet girl. Never had a problem with anyone.

Richard: Not even a little argument with anyone? Even about the most insignificant thing?

Tyreese: (stern) She got along with everyone just fine. She didn't have any enemies, if that's what you're asking. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go get that medicine.

Rick and Richard watch Daryl drive off with Michionne, Bob, and Tyreese. They then head to the Tombs with Eldin trotting by Richard's side, and they follow the blood trails with their flashlights. There's a bloody hand print on the back door leading out of the prison, and Richard puts his hand up to compare the hand print to his own hand.

Richard: It's a lot smaller than my hand. You think it could've been a woman's hand?

Rick: Yeah, I do. C'mon, let's get out of here.

Richard: Yeah. Place gives me the creeps.

Richard and Rick walk back out into the sunlight.

Rick: That was pretty good work back there.

Richard: It's all just details, something a director needs to be good at.

Rick: (nods) I'm gonna go finish fixing the water problem. Why don't you go see how Francine and Mina are doing? You had a long day, kid.

Richard: Yeah.

Rick walks off while Richard walks back into the prison. He looks through the mirror into the darkness of the Tombs of Cell Block A. He knocks on the window, and Eldin howls. Francine walks out of the room, and Richard smiles seeing that she looks just fine. She walks to the window and places her hand on it wanting to touch Richard. She's relieved to finally see Richard after voluntarily walking into the Tombs to be with Mina.

Francine: (smiles) Hey.

Richard: Hey. How are you feeling?

Francine: I'm fine. Mina's not doing so well.

Richard: Do you think she'll make it?

Francine: (face darkens) I don't know. I hope so. How are you?

Richard: I'm fine. I'm helping Rick find out who killed Karen and David. I'm just glad whoever did it didn't hurt you and Mina.

Francine: I've been thinking about that. It doesn't make any sense. Why would this person kill Karen and David but not me and Mina?

Richard: I don't know. You should make sure Faron and Nayru are with you tonight just to be safe.

Francine: I sent Nayru to go with Daryl for the medicine. You know, hopefully she'll kinda be like Balto, right?

Richard: (smiles) Yeah. Real symbolic, babe.

Francine: (chuckles lightly) I miss you, babe.

Richard: I miss you too. I'm sorry I didn't come by earlier. I was helping Tyreese dig Karen and David's graves.

Francine: It's okay. You should go and help Rick find out who killed them. We can't let that person continue living with us.

Richard: (nods) Right. I'll come back to see you again soon. I love you, Francine.

Francine: I love you too.

Richard walks off but can't find Rick anywhere. He knows Rick is working on the water supply, so Richard decides to just train with the sword as Eldin trots to his side to watch him...

_Richard and Francine arrive at a bar that reminds Francine of Cheers. Richard and Francine walk into the bar hand-in-hand, and he spots his friends immediately._

_Friends: Richard!_

_Richard puts his hand up and walks over with Francine, still holding hands. Richard introduces Francine to the people she never met yet: Tessa and Jen. Richard and Francine take a seat with his friends.  
><em>

_Richard: Where's Robin?_

_Trevor: He said he was too tired to come out tonight.  
><em>

_Jared: Yeah, he was a real dick about it too. Acts like he's such a big hot-shot now._

_Tessa: Hey, you two need to catch up to our level. Hurry up and drink._

_Tessa pours Richard and Francine a shot of vodka, and they take it. They take a few shots together and the guys plus Tessa make Francine feel comfortable. But Francine can see Jen eying her at times._

_Richard: I'm gonna head to the bathroom._

_Richard excuses himself and walks off. Jen excuses herself too, and Francine watches Jen following Richard from behind towards the bathrooms._

_Francine: So did Jen and Richard have something before?_

_Lance: He didn't tell you?_

_Francine: No. So he did?  
><em>

_Lance: Yeah. It didn't last long. They were together like, what, a week? Maybe less?_

_Francine: A week?_

_Trevor: Jen was really into Richard, so she kept making moves on him. Richard just gave it a try to see how it would play out, but he wasn't really into it._

_Francine: Huh...she liked him a lot, huh?  
><em>

_Jared: Dude, Jen was ALL over Richard. She wouldn't go to parties unless he was there, and she would try to grab a drink with him every time after work. She REALLY liked Richard, man. It was pretty crazy._

_Tessa: She was really upset when Richard just wanted to be friends with her. But I mean, no one blames her. He was totally leading her on._

_Trevor: God, shut up about that, Tessa. Richard just wanted to see how it would be with Jen, but she was obsessed with the guy and it creeped him out._

_Tessa: He shouldn't have tried anything with her in the first place then. He led her on to think they were actually gonna work out.  
><em>

_Jared: It's not like Richard knew they weren't going to work. He knew Jen liked him, so he just wanted to give it a try. It didn't work out, and Jen should've moved on._

_Tessa: Oh yeah, so it's totally Jen's fault-_

_Francine ignores what Richard's friends are arguing about as she keeps her eyes on Jen talking to Richard near the bathrooms._

_Jen: Hey Richard._

_Richard turns around and sees Jen walking towards him._

_Richard: Hey._

_Jen: She's real pretty._

_Richard: Yeah. You know, you didn't have to come out tonight if it's making you uncomfortable._

_Jen: No, I wanted to see who she was. Just curious, you know?_

_Richard: Yeah. Well uh, I gotta use the bathroom so I'll see you there._

_Jen watches Richard walk into the mens' bathroom, and she walks off into the womens' bathroom._

Rick sees Richard training by himself with a sword as Eldin is resting on the grass under the warm sun. Richard notices Rick so he stops training. Richard runs to Rick sweating from the meditation and training.

Richard: Hey man, I was looking everywhere for you.

Rick: It was Carol. She killed Karen and David.

Richard: How do you know?

Rick: She told me.

Richard: She just...told you?

Rick: I had a hunch it was her. So I asked her, and she confessed.

Richard: Wow. Great police-work man...so what are you gonna do about it?

Rick: She can't continue to live here with us. I can't risk that for Carl. Mina and Francine, they were lucky.

Richard: Do you know why Carol didn't kill them?

Rick: I didn't ask, she didn't tell.

Richard: (sighs) So...you're gonna send her away?

Rick: Yes.

Richard: When?

Rick: Today. By tonight. Maybe now...I'll be right back. Take care of the prison while I'm gone.

Richard: You got it, man.

Richard watches Rick walk away, and Eldin trots to his side looking at Rick too.

Richard: (sighs) Man, this is bat-shit crazy, Eldin.

* * *

><p>Mina wakes up coughing, and she needs to go get a glass of water. She quietly gets out of bed, and Faron stirs awake. He trots by Mina's side, and Mina walks out of the room. Mina rubs her eyes as her vision is blurrier than normal. As she's walking and rubbing her eyes, she pauses when she hears an odd noise resonating in the cell block. It sounds like a snarl of a walker. Mina walks towards the source of the sound with Faron by her side, and she peeks into a room seeing the turned figure of a man named Caleb walking towards Glenn on the floor. She can see a pool of blood around Glenn's head as he coughed on his own blood and passed out. Mina knows the walker is going to eat Glenn, and she doesn't want her friend to turn into a walker.<p>

Mina: (weakly) Hey. Hey you.

The walker stops going for Glenn and turns around to look at Mina standing there in the doorway.

Mina: Come and get me.

The walker walks towards Mina, and she takes a step back to let Faron kill off the walker with ease.

_Richard and Francine arrive back at his apartment, both very drunk. They plop onto Richard's bed together, and Richard closes his eyes. But Francine can't stop thinking about what he and Jen had._

_Francine: Richard...why didn't you tell me about Jen?_

_Richard looks at Francine and doesn't respond._

_Richard: (looks away) I don't know...I just thought it wouldn't really matter._

_Francine: Why?_

_Richard: Cus I never even liked Jen like that. And it was so short. She and I were together for only a few days. (looks at Francine) Are you upset I didn't tell you?_

_Francine: A little._

_Richard: I'm sorry, Francine._

_Francine: Jen still likes you, doesn't she?_

_Richard: Yeah._

_Francine: But she knows not to mess with you. Or I'll mess her up._

_Richard laughs and holds Francine close to him. He looks into her eyes._

_Richard: I always knew Jen and I wouldn't work out. She's not the kind of girl I've wanted. You are.  
><em>

_Francine chortles and kisses Richard on the lips. Richard snuggles with Francine.  
><em>

_Richard: (closes his eyes) You make me real happy, Francine._

Richard is lying in bed trying to fall asleep, but all he can think about is Francine. He saw her before he went to sleep, and she seemed completely fine. But he was worried that it was going to be only a matter of time when she gets sick. While Richard is thinking about Francine, Eldin perks his ears up. Eldin then howls, and Richard grabs the sword wary of what's going on. Eldin runs out of the prison howling, and Richard follows. Richard quickly skids to a halt.

Richard: Holy shit.

The outer fence gave way and a hoard of walkers are walking into the prison courtyard.

Richard: Eldin, go and wake everyone up now!

Eldin runs back into the prison and howls loudly so that everyone wakes up. Rick quickly gets out of bed with his gun and looks at the wolf howling at him to get out of bed.

Carl: I think he wants us to follow him, dad.

Rick and Carl run out of the prison and they see the hoard of walkers walking towards the prison through the fallen fence. Richard is away from the walkers, knowing there's no way he can take care of all those walkers by himself unless he wants to get bit. Rick and Carl start shooting down the walkers with their guns as Maggie comes running out with an assault rifle. She helps Rick and Carl take down the walkers, but there's too many of them. Richard hears a howl from a distance, and Eldin howls again. Richard looks through the thick forest and he sees Nayru running back. He then sees the car with Daryl, Michionne, Bob, and Tyreese come back.

Richard: They're back!

Beth runs with Richard to help open the gates for the car to get in. Daryl speeds into the prison and quickly parks it so that everyone can get out to help their friends in the prison. Daryl and Michionne run to help get rid of the walkers while Bob and Tyreese, with Nayru by their side, run to Cell Block A with the medical supplies. With the help of Daryl and Michionne, the walkers are all gotten rid of within the prison. Everyone retreats behind the second fence (they're guarded by 3 fences with 1 down).

Richard: (breathless from the fight) Dude, great timing, man.

Daryl: Everyone okay?

Richard, Rick, Carl, Maggie, and Beth look at one another. No one is bit or scathed.

Richard: You guys found all the supplies?

Daryl: (nods) All of it...

Mina hears the front metal door open, and she runs out. She can't make out who the person is because of her blurry vision.

Mina: Help!

Tyreese runs to Mina and sees Faron sitting next to Glenn on the floor as if watching over him by command.

Tyreese: Over here, Bob!

Bob runs into Glenn's room with Mina and Tyreese. Bob gets the medicine ready while Tyreese rolls Mina's sleeve up.

Mina: Glenn needs help.

Tyreese: I know, but you'll get the shot first, baby girl.

Mina: No, Glenn needs it first.

Bob and Tyreese share a look. Bob helps Glenn first as Mina hugs Tyreese, hoping Glenn is okay. Mina sees Nayru entering and she smiles.

Mina: Nayru.

Nayru trots to Mina's side and rests her head on Mina's lap as Mina pets Nayru lovingly.

Tyreese: You don't know how much this wolf helped us.

Mina: Nayru is smart. She's smarter than Faron and Eldin.

The metal door creaks open as Richard walks in. He runs into Francine and Mina's room, and he only sees Francine sleeping. He kneels down to her side and shakes her gently.

Richard: Francine, Francine wake up.

Francine stirs awake and she gasps seeing Richard there. She bolts up staring at Richard.

Francine: Wha...

Richard: They brought back the medicine.

Francine: Mina...where is she?

Richard: I don't know.

Richard helps Francine onto her feet, and they see Nayru out in the hallway. Nayru runs to Francine and circles around her happily. Francine smiles seeing Nayru back, and Nayru runs into Glenn's room. Francine and Richard follow, and there they see Glenn lying on his bed while Bob is giving Mina a shot.

Bob: (takes syringe out of Mina's arm) There you go. Wow, you're a brave little girl, aren't you?

Mina: (smiles) I'm very brave!

Bob: (laughs) Yes you are.

Francine smiles knowing that Mina is going to be just fine now.

Francine: Mina.

Mina looks up and sees Francine's figure.

Mina: Franny!

Francine falls on her knees as Mina runs to her. They embrace each other, and Francine holds in her tears. Francine stands up still hugging Mina, and Richard hugs Francine and Mina with his arm. The 3 embrace each other as a family while Bob and Tyreese go to take care of the others who are sick. Eldin, Faron, and Nayru all head-butt one another, happy to see each other and happy that Richard, Mina, and Francine are okay.


	9. Chapter 9

_Richard and Francine lie in Richard's bed holding each other flesh to flesh. Francine is resting her head on Richard's chest while he's playing with her hair._

_Richard: Can't you stay a little longer?_

_Francine: I wish I could. But I've gotta work to pay my rent._

_Richard: (smirks) I'm gonna miss you, Francine._

_Francine: I'm gonna miss you too. But hey, you'll visit me soon, won't you?_

_Richard: I'll try but I'm not making good money right now. Hey, can you get my bag for me? It's on the ground.  
><em>

_Francine: You can get your own bag._

_Richard: (chortles) C'mon, babe. I got something for you. Just hand me my bag...PLEASE._

_Francine smiles and reaches down the bed to grab Richard's bag on the ground. She hands Richard his bag and he takes out a bracelet wrapped in thin paper._

_Richard: I know it's not as pretty or as...expensive-looking as anything you've got, but I really wanted to get you something before you left.  
><em>

_Francine: (smiles) I love it, Richard. Here, put it on for me._

_Francine puts her hand out, and Richard puts the bracelet around her wrist. Francine can see that Richard seems to be a little down from the gleam in his eye.  
><em>

_Francine: (looks into Richard's eyes) What's wrong?_

_Richard: (smiles sheepishly) Nothing. I just wish you didn't have to go. I like it when you're with me._

_Francine: (holds Richard's hands) Well, think of it like this. It's not good for us to be spending 24/7 with each other every single day. We'll become dependent on one another, and it just won't be healthy for us mentally. So this little break that we're gonna have...however long it is, hopefully it'll clear our minds. Keep us independent, you know? Strong._

_Richard: (chortles) Yeah, right. I just kinda got used to seeing you everyday. It's gonna be hard adjusting to coming back home to no one._

_Francine smiles and kisses Richard sweetly._

_Francine: You and I can always Skype one another. It's not like we'll never see each other again, right?_

_Richard: (smiles) Yeah._

_Richard leans in and kisses Francine passionately. He leans her down on his bed and puts himself on top of Francine, spreading her legs apart._

Richard wakes up and he feels warm inside feeling Francine right by his side. He rolls to his side and holds Francine in his arm as she's still fast asleep. Richard looks into Francine's face, watching her sleep. Francine farts in her sleep, and Richard laughs. She stirs awake, and Richard can't stop laughing.

Francine: (groggily) What?

Richard: Nothing, nothing.

Richard looks at Francine's hand and sees the bracelet he gave her from her first visit to Canada. Francine holds Richard tightly and digs her face into his chest.

Francine: Are you gonna go train with Michionne today?

Richard: Maybe. She's taking Eldin out for a hunt.

Francine: Why is she always out hunting with Eldin?

Richard: She's trying to look for someone.

Francine: Huh. Do you think you're getting better at handling a sword?

Richard: Yeah, I think I am.

Francine rolls to her other side and she notices the shield missing.

Francine: Uh where's the shield?

Richard: Mina took it with her. She's been pretending to be a gladiator.

Francine: A gladiator?

Richard: Yeah. Faron pulls the wagon and she stands in it like it's a chariot. But the shield is so big she has to hold it up with both hands. It's actually real funny. You should see her playing gladiator one time.

Francine: Yeah, when the harvest is over.

* * *

><p>Francine is taking care of the crops with Rick and Carl while Richard is practicing how to handle the sword by himself. Francine glances to Mina and sees her playing gladiator by herself with Faron. Faron has the saddle over its body and is pulling the toy cart like a chariot while Mina is holding up the shield standing tall and strong. Francine smiles, and there is a sudden noise that is much different than the snarl of walkers. Francine, Rick, and Carl all look out to the same direction where the noise is coming from, and they see the Governor standing on top of a monstrous tank, surrounded by his militia outside the prison walls.<p>

Governor: Rick. Why don't you come down here and talk with me?

Francine looks at Rick, not knowing who this man is. But she knows this man is dangerous and trouble for the prison.

Rick: There's a council now that makes the decisions now.

Governor: I have Michionne and Hershel.

The Governor signals to his men, and they bring out Hershel and Michionne bound.

Francine: Go and talk to him, Rick.

Rick looks back at Francine and then to his son. Carl nods, and Rick walks down to talk with the Governor. Francine puts her hand on Carl's shoulder as she looks out at Rick walking towards the Governor.

Francine: Who is that man?

Carl: The Governor. (looks at Francine) I think he's here to kill us.

The people in the prison prepare for the possibility of fleeing, as they know they don't have the numbers to hold the militia off. The Governor gives Rick an ultimatum: leave the prison by sundown or everyone in the prison including Michionne and Hershel will die. Meanwhile, Daryl secretly begins handing out weapons to everyone. Richard holds onto his sword and runs to Daryl.

Richard: Who is that man?

Daryl: The Governor.

Richard remembers the stories about the horrors and cruelty of this man.

Richard: What does he want? Why is he here?

Daryl: Probably to kill us off. Here, take this, kid.

Daryl gives Richard a handgun, and Richard puts it around his belt while he holds onto his sword. The Governor shoots several oncoming walkers.

Francine: The sound will draw the walkers in...

Francine now knows that Carl is right. The Governor is here to kill them all.

Francine: Carl, grab a gun now.

Carl: What about you?

Francine: Get one for me. But you go and get them now.

Carl: Alright.

Carl runs off to find guns for himself and Francine while Francine watches the Governor's moves. The Governor and Rick talk together, but the Governor partially decapitates Hershel with Michionne's katana. Beth and Maggie scream their heads off and beyond enraged, Rick and the people in the prison open fire. Francine quickly ducks for cover as she is weaponless except for the knife wrapped around her ankle. She quickly runs off to search for Mina and Richard. Taking advantage of the situation, Michionne rolls away. She tackles one of the Governor's militia to the ground and strangles him with her boot before untying herself. A still-alive Hershel attempts to drag himself away, but the Governor takes the katana and hacks Hershel's head off completely.

Governor: Go through the fences in your cars, get your guns, we go in! Kill them all!

The Governor's tank takes down the fences, destroying the crops in the process. The Governor and some of his militia use the tank for cover, while the rest attack and invade the prison in cars and pick-up trucks. With the tank blasting holes in the prison, the inhabitants begin evacuating to the best of their ability. The tank breaks down the fence leading into the courtyard, pinning Daryl in a corner. Walkers have just wandered in as well, and one of them attacks Daryl, who is focused on the militia. Richard quickly kills the walker lunging at Daryl with his sword, giving Daryl the time to grenade-attack the incoming tank. The noise from the battle is drawing in even more walkers from outside the prison boundaries. Richard runs back towards the interior of the prison, but Daryl stops him.

Daryl: Where the hell you think you're going?!

Richard: I need to find Mina and Francine. I saw Mina going into the prison right before the Governor came.

Daryl: No, no she's right there.

Richard looks to his left and sees Mina squatting down and covering her ears from all the frightening and loud noise. Faron is by her side on all 4's, looking around to keep Mina as safe as she can be against the incoming walkers and militia.

Daryl: I'll go find Franny. You get the little one.

Richard: (to Eldin) Eldin, go with Daryl to find Francine now!

Eldin runs off with Daryl, and Richard looks back to Mina.

Richard: Mina!

Mina looks up when she hears her name being called by a familiar voice, and she sees Richard there running towards her. She's so relieved to see Richard there for her, and she quickly runs to Richard but quickly comes to a halt when the Governor steps in front of her. Mina falls on her bottom and she looks up at the man pointing his gun right at her. The Governor looks down at Mina, seeing his very own daughter in Mina's eyes. Anger flows through the Governor, remembering how unfair life was to take his daughter away from him. The Governor puts his finger to the trigger, but Richard makes it to the Governor and with his sword completely chops off the Governor's arm holding the gun. The Governor screams in pain, and Mina looks at the dismembered arm and gun on the floor with terror.

Richard: Run, Mina! RUN!

Mina looks up and sees the Governor and Richard fighting hand-to-hand combat. Faron runs to her side saddled with the wagon, and the shield is in the wagon. Mina just watches Richard and the Governor fighting, and the Governor punches Richard in the face. He then pins Richard on the ground and starts strangling him. Richard sees Mina still there watching him being strangled.

Richard: (chokes out) Run! Run!

Mina grabs her shield and runs behind the Governor. With all her might, she hits the Governor in the head with the metal shield. It barely hurts him, and he backhands Mina hard across the face making her fall on the floor. Faron, still saddled with the wagon, angrily lunges at the Governor and bites the Governor in his neck. The Governor screams and pushes the wolf off of him. The Governor grabs his gun on the floor and points it right at the wolf, and Richard tackles the Governor to the ground.

Richard: Faron, take Mina out of here now!

Mina: Richard-

Faron knows Mina won't leave Richard's side, so Faron sinks its teeth into Mina's dress and starts dragging Mina away.

Mina: (tries to reach out to Richard) Richard!

Richard: Run Mina! RUN!

Mina: (cries) Richard!

Faron is too strong for Mina to resist, and she tries to push Faron off. Faron growls at Mina, and it scares her. Mina understands that she needs to leave the prison be it alone, so she climbs into her wagon and puts the shield over her to cover her as protection. Faron then quickly trots/runs into the forest away from the prison.

The Governor headbutts Richard, and Richard falls on the ground dizzy. As the Governor points his gun at Richard to give the final blow, Eldin lunges at the Governor and powerfully bites into his neck to paralyze the man from the neck down. Daryl comes running forth with his bow and arrow pointing at the Governor bleeding out on the ground, unable to move.

Daryl: I should kill you right here right now you son of a bitch.

Richard: No, no wait.

Richard wobbles onto his feet, his nose bleeding from the Governor's headbutt. He sees that the Governor is paralyzed, so Richard takes the Governor's gun in his hand and points it up into the air. He uses all 4 bullets, and the walkers start nearing Richard's location. Richard then throws the gun away from the Governor's grasp, and then he looks at Daryl.

Richard: Francine?

Daryl: Can't find her. She must've left already, but we gotta get out of here too.

Richard nods and agrees. Daryl and Richard take out a few walkers and manage to destroy a stationary tank when Daryl throws another grenade down the cannon barrel, forcing a man to bail out. Richard then stabs the man through the chest with his sword, leaving him to turn or for the walkers to get to him first. They then run into Beth, who was trying to find Judith but unable to find her.

Richard: We need to go, Beth.

Beth: No. No, I need to find Judith.

Richard: She's gone, Beth. I'm sure someone took her to safety. We need to go now.

Beth: But-

Daryl: LET'S GO!

Beth knows that they need to go now or else they'll be killed, so they all run away from the prison...

Francine can't find Mina anywhere within the prison, and when she runs out she sees that everyone is gone. She can't believe that she's left all alone with all the walkers streaming in. Francine runs back into the prison to grab a blanket, and Nayru is right by her side whimpering. Francine hears walkers entering the prison, and she looks out her cell to see walkers headed towards her way. Francine holsters her gun away and takes out her knife wrapped around her leg. She then locks herself and Nayru in a cell, and the walkers all try to grab Francine but they can't because of the metal bars. Francine kills 3 walkers, and she takes her time to grab their dismembered body parts. Francine then drenches the blanket with walker blood, and she cuts a hole in the middle of the blanket. She puts the blanket over herself like a large poncho, and she drenches her hair and face in walker blood. After waiting a while, the walkers walk off as if they don't see Francine anymore. Francine then walks out of the cell with Nayru, and she continues walking off with Nayru with her knife in hand. She then runs away into the forest as dozens of walkers stream in through the destroyed ruins.

* * *

><p>Daryl, Beth, and Richard take a moment to breathe from running. Eldin stands right beside Richard who is holding onto his sword. The 3 look at one another, unable to speak with so much on their minds.<p>

Beth: We can't be the only survivors. We have to try to look for the others.

Beth starts walking off forcing Daryl and Richard to follow her. Richard isn't watching where he's walking. All he's thinking about are Francine and Mina. Daryl watches Richard walk right into a tree, and Richard stumbles back. Beth stops and looks back to see what caused that noise. She sees Richard holding onto his nose in pain.

Richard: (frustrated) Ah, shit!

Daryl: Hey, I'm sure Franny and Mina are out there somewhere protected by your wolves.

Richard doesn't answer, and Eldin perks up his ears. He gives a low growl, and Daryl stands in front of Beth to protect her while Richard stands beside her. Eldin walks forward as the 3 follow from behind.

Beth: (gasps) No.

Richard, Beth, and Daryl see one of the little boys living in the prison there on the ground dead. There's a huge hole in his stomach, cut open by walkers. The boy's insides are scattered everywhere around him, organs half eaten. The boy's face is struck with pain and horror, paralyzed that way showing that that was his last emotion before dying a gruesome death. Beth cries and digs her face into Richard's shoulder, and Richard holds her tightly looking away from the dead boy. Daryl sighs and kneels down looking at the boy. He closes the boy's eyes, and then he grabs an arrow. Daryl drives the arrow through the boy's head to prevent him from turning. Richard becomes worried deeply thinking about Mina. The boy is barely older than Mina, and he couldn't survive 5 minutes in the wild on his own. Richard worries for Mina's well-being, knowing fully well that the wolves can't protect them all the time...

Faron, with the saddle around its body, is pulling the toy cart with Mina inside it and the shield above her to protect her and to shield her from walker sight. Hiding inside the toy cart, Mina can still hear the snarls of many walkers around her. The walkers are heading towards the prison after all the noise as Faron is pushing the cart the opposite direction of the walkers. Faron stops after a while, and Mina doesn't hear a single thing besides the birds' singing. She cautiously peeks out through the shield and sees the coast is clear. Mina steps out of the toy cart and hugs Faron, afraid because she is all alone. Mina starts crying, and Faron whimpers lightly. Faron uses its nose to make Mina lift her chin up. Mina wipes her tears away bravely.

Mina: Okay Faron, we have to find Franny and Richard...

Francine finds a very large and thick stick which she uses as a walking stick. Francine is still traumatized from what happened at the prison, and she takes a moment to gather herself. Nayru sits by Francine's side. Francine looks down at her bloodied blanket, and she wishes Richard and Mina are alive somewhere out there unscathed. She's upset at herself that she couldn't take care of Mina the way she promised Jenny she would. Emotions flood Francine as she thinks about Jenny and her now-broken promise to keep Mina safe. As Francine tries her best to not cry, Nayru quickly looks to her left with her ears perked up. She makes a low growl, and Francine quickly hops onto her feet making Nayru hop onto her feet.

Francine: What do you hear, girl?

Nayru runs to a certain direction, and Francine follows. As she follows Nayru, Francine hears a man's cry for help. They arrive to the scene, and Francine sees a man clinging onto a tree completely surrounded by 7 walkers.

Man: (notices Francine) Oh thank god you came! Please, help me!

Francine whistles to Nayru, and Nayru starts attacking the walkers one by one. Francine climbs onto a nearby tree and shouts at the guy.

Francine: Hey! You gotta be quiet or you're gonna attract more walkers, alright?

The man nods and quiets down still clinging to the tree, and Francine sits down on the lowest branch as the walkers start to surround her tree. With her large walking stick, she kills walkers one by one with Nayru's help. When all the walkers are dead and the coast is clear, Francine and the man jump down to the ground. The man looks at Francine dressed in a bloodied blanket.

Man: You saved my life. Thank you so much.

Francine: It's not a problem. Are you okay?

Man: I-I will be. My name is Robin.

Francine: I'm Francine. You've been out here alone all this time?

Robin: No. I was out here with my girlfriend, Jenna. We lived in an abandoned cabin in the forest, but those things surrounded us just minutes ago. It was out of nowhere, but I think it had to do with the gunfire noise up ahead. So Jenna and I...we had to run. She's...she's my girlfriend.

Robin points to a walker on the ground that Francine had killed.

Francine: I'm sorry for your loss.

Robin: (nods sadly) You're...really good at killing those things.

Francine: You've gotta get used to it.

Robin: I...I know you don't know me, but may I join you? I've never been out here by myself and...well, to be perfectly honest with you, I'm terrified to be on my own out here.

Nayru circles around Robin sniffing him as if checking to see if he's harmful.

Robin: This wolf is yours?

Francine: Yeah. Her name's Nayru.

Nayru trots to Francine's side and just looks at Robin.

Robin: (sheepish) Did I pass the test?

Francine: Yeah, I suppose you did. (looks up at the sky filled with black smoke from the destruction of the prison) We should move. More walkers should be coming this way. (to Robin) That cabin you talked about, where is it?

Robin leads the way towards the cabin, and they hide behind trees to see walkers lurking around the cabin as if waiting for something.

Francine: (whispers to Nayru) Go to the back and do your thing, girl.

Nayru trots along towards the back of the cabin to start killing walkers. Francine takes a step forward but Robin grabs her arm covered under the blanket. He quickly takes his hand off and is disgusted at his hand covered in walker blood.

Robin: You're just going to walk up to them like that?

Francine: Just watch.

Robin looks confused, and Francine hands Robin her walking stick for protection. She then walks towards the walkers, and Robin is shocked that the walkers don't notice Francine among them. Francine starts to kill the walkers one-by-one as quickly and efficiently as she can as Robin watches her awed and amazed. When Francine kills off the last walker, Nayru comes trotting back to her side. Robin walks forward to Francine holding onto her walking stick tightly and sheepishly. He hands Francine the walking stick, and she takes it. Francine peeks into the cabin through the windows, and she sees nothing in there.

Francine: (looks at Robin) I'll go in first. I'll let you know when everything's clear.

Francine opens the front door, and Nayru goes trotting into the cabin. Francine knocks on the floor loudly, trying to attract any walkers in the cabin towards her. There's no movement inside, and Francine knocks again but nothing happens. Francine enters the cabin and looks around. She searches through every single room in the cabin, and she walks back out to see Robin looking around to make sure no walkers are coming.

Francine: Come in.

Robin walks into the cabin, and he closes the door behind him. He draws the curtains and wobbles onto a chair. Francine can see cans of food piled up on the kitchen table and clothes drying on a line. Francine notices women clothing on the line as well as men clothing.

Francine: You two just up and left when you saw the walkers?

Robin: Yeah.

Francine: With no weapon?

Robin: We never had one.

Francine: Not even a kitchen knife?

Robin: No. It's all empty. All we had was a can opener.

Francine looks at the empty fireplace.

Francine: No axe either for the fireplace?

Robin: No. My girlfriend and I...we're not so handy.

Francine: So you never started a fire?

Robin: No. Do...you know how to start a fire?

Francine: (sighs) Yeah. Let's go collect some wood...

Daryl, Richard, and Beth find an abandoned car in the middle of the road late at night after eating dinner. Beth sleeps in the trunk while Richard and Daryl take turns staying awake in the back of the car to keep watch for walkers. Richard offers to stay up first since there's no way he can go to sleep thinking about Francine and Mina.

Daryl: They'll be okay, man.

Richard doesn't answer.

Daryl: Kid, we'll find them.

Richard: That's easy for you to say. Mina is out there on her own, and the wolves can only protect us so much. I mean, look what happened to my goddamn arm. The wolves didn't protect me then, and if it wasn't for you I'd be a walker by now or a dead walker. Francine...Francine isn't...she's not strong.

Daryl: You don't need to be strong to survive. You gotta be smart, and Franny is smart.

Richard balls his hand into a fist, angry that it's so easy for Daryl to believe they're alive when he doesn't know Mina and Francine's flaws the way Richard does...

Mina starts a small fire, remembering what Francine taught her a while back. Mina glows brightly as she successfully starts the fire. Faron brings back a rabbit, and Mina has no idea how to cook this rabbit. Faron rips the rabbit apart with its fangs, and Faron spills all the organs out of the rabbit.

Mina: Ew.

Mina grabs a stick and pokes it through the rabbit's liver. She then roasts it over the fire like a marshmallow while Faron eats the rest of the rabbit. Mina burns the meat, trying to emulate Richard and Francine back when they would roast the deer meat till it was done well. Mina chews on the rabbit's liver, and to her surprise it doesn't taste as bad as she thought. When she's done eating, Mina puts the fire out and lies next to Faron. Mina digs her face into Faron's fur to keep her warm from the chilly night, and Mina falls asleep quickly as Faron stays awake to protect the little girl from any un-welcomed guests...

Francine starts a fire in the fireplace, and Robin grins widely.

Robin: I haven't felt the warmth of a fire since hell broke loose.

Robin sits in front of the fire beside Francine. The two put their hands out towards the fire to feel its warmth. Robin glances at Francine to see what she's thinking of. He can see that she's been through a lot of pain, probably more than he went through since the world fell apart. After warming up, Francine gets up and walks towards the kitchen. Robin watches Francine getting all the empty canned foods on the kitchen table. She then gets a clothes line, and she starts making a contraption. She wraps the wire around the canned foods to make one big line of canned foods, and she throws in the metal lids into the empty can.

Robin: What's that for?

Francine: I'm gonna set it up around the cabin's perimeter. It'll make a noise if anything comes through. Come out and help me.

Robin: O-Okay.

Robin helps Francine carry the connected cans outside, and they set it up around the cabin's perimeter. Francine tests it out, and the cans all ring when she touches the wire. Robin is impressed by Francine's contraption and how she even thought of it.

Robin: Wow, this is amazing. You're some kind of genius, aren't you?

Francine just walks back into the cabin with Robin following. Nayru comes back with a few rabbits so Francine cooks them over the fire while Robin watches her. He can see Francine is thinking about her pain while cooking these rabbits. Her pain is written all over her face.

Robin: So...what happened to you?

Francine looks at Robin, and he turns sheepish.

Robin: Your face...I can see you've been through a lot of pain.

Francine: The place I used to live with other people...my boyfriend and my baby sister...it was raided.

Robin: Walkers...

Francine: No. (scoffs) Humans. Those gunshots you heard, they came from the place I lived.

Robin: ...so what happened to your boyfriend and your sister?

Francine: I don't know. I couldn't find them. But I know they're alive. I know they're out there somewhere. And I need to find them. (looks at Robin) Will you help me look for them?

Robin: Y-You're asking for _my _help?

Francine: (looks at Robin) Yeah.

Robin: (looks into the fire)...I don't know how to fight. I've-I've never killed one of those things before. I mean...I'm just a film producer.

Francine: I'll teach you. (looks into the fire) Unless you just want to stay here and fend for yourself.

Robin looks back at Francine, knowing that she's basically giving him no choice around it.

Robin: I suppose I don't really have anything else to do anymore anyways. Besides, I owe you for saving my life.

Francine nods and looks at her bracelet. She then runs her hand through her hair and remembers her hair was drenched in walker blood. It's now all crusty.

Francine: Is there a lake nearby?

Robin: Yeah. Want me to show you?

Francine: Yeah.

Robin and Francine leave the cabin with Nayru, and he leads her towards the river.

Robin: You know, you remind me of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predators.

Francine: Why?

Robin: Well, you're covered in those dead things' blood to not be seen by those things. Kinda like Arnie covering himself in mud to not be seen by the predator.

Francine smirks and Robin looks back at her with a smile.

Robin: Here we are.

Robin and Francine come upon a modest lake that looks more beautiful than it really is because of the moon and stars shining upon it. The moon is white and bright, and its reflection is beautiful upon the lake.

Francine: (to Robin) Do you mind if I get some time alone?

Robin: (sheepish) O-Oh, of course. I'll see you in a bit. You...are coming back, right?

Francine: Yeah.

Francine watches Robin walking off, and when she can't see him anymore she starts to take all her clothes off. She strips down naked, and she steps into the lake but it's freezing. Nayru pants as if laughing at Francine. Francine walks deep into the lake to wash the walker blood off of her and to take a cold bath. Robin watches from afar, feeling very guilty of spying on Francine but he can't stop staring at her body...

Daryl is fast asleep but Richard is wide awake. Richard sits there with his cross necklace in his hands, whispering a prayer to himself with his eyes wide open. He hears whimpering, and he quietly gets out of the car to the trunk. He opens the trunk and Beth gasps.

Richard: Beth.

Beth: (wipes her tears) I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you.

Richard: I was awake already. Want some company?

Beth nods. Richard walks to the driver's seat but Beth speaks up.

Beth: Richard...do you...mind if you sit with me?

Richard: On one seat?

Beth: Yeah. I just...I need someone.

Richard nods and Beth walks into the passenger's seat. Richard sits there also, and they cuddle close. Beth rests her head close to Richard's chest and she holds him tightly as he wraps his arm around Beth's shoulder. He can feel her shaking in his arms, and he glances down at the cross still in his hand.

Beth: Richard, I'm scared.

Richard doesn't answer, just continuing to hold Beth close.

Beth: What if the other children didn't make it?

Richard: If they're with Mina, they'll be fine.

Beth: What if we don't make it?

Richard: We will.

Beth: But what if we don't?

Richard makes Beth look up at him by lifting her chin.

Richard: Beth, listen to me. We'll make it. All you have to do is stick with me, alright? As long as you stick with me, I _will_ keep you safe. I promise you.

Beth sniffs and rests her head on Richard's chest, calming down from trembling. Richard puts his arm around her shoulder again and keeps watch feeling Beth fall asleep in his embrace.


	10. Chapter 10

_Richard is sitting on the rooftop under the scorching summer sun with Francine resting her head on his lap. He is leaning back against the wall, his trembling hand from fear stroking Francine's hair gently. She's fast asleep with Mina sleeping on her lap. Richard looks down at Francine and Mina both soundly asleep. The 3 of them are still in their water park clothes, not having had time to think to change clothes after being brutally attacked by the walking dead. Richard looks down at his trembling hands, unable to believe he killed Joe with a metal pole to prevent him from reanimating the way Jenny did before his very eyes. _

_Richard: (in his mind) **What's going on? Why is this happening? This world...what's happened to this world? I don't...I don't understand...**_

_Richard looks to his left and watches Deana, Francis, Charles, Ronald, and Dennis contemplating whether or not it's a good idea to let Richard, Francine, and Mina join their group. Richard looks away, not caring about what anyone else has to say just as long as he can keep Francine and Mina safe. The 3 just lost Joe and Jenny, the older brother and sister figures who always seem to make the right decision in any situation. Jenny and Joe were good leaders in Richard's eyes, and the fact that they were the first ones to be dead in this world frightens Richard making him wonder just how long he, Francine, and Mina could survive. Richard closes his eyes for a second but all he can see is the reanimated Jenny in his head. He remembers Francine grabbing the metal pole and killing Jenny by piercing the pole through her head. The sight of that killing sickened Richard greatly, nearly making him vomit. Richard quickly opens his eyes widely, afraid, and sees Joe far away with a big hole in his head bleeding out and unable to reanimate. Richard looks up to the sky with tears flowing down quietly.  
><em>

_Richard: (in his mind) **Shit! Shit shit shit! I'm so goddamn scared! What the hell am I supposed to do?!** (breathing heavily) **Fuck! I...I don't know how long I'll survive out there...I don't know if I can keep Francine and Mina safe...**  
><em>

_Richard feels the scorching sun making him hotter, and he looks up to the sky once again. He feels the sun shining brightly upon him, and there's a cool breeze. Richard feels his necklace hidden under his shirt from the breeze, so he reaches into his shirt and holds onto his cross necklace. Richard looks down at Francine and brushes her hair aside to look at her face. He strokes Francine's cheek gently, remembering the time he first met her at Staples Center and how everything just clicked after that moment he bought Francine a beer. It warms Richard's heart knowing how far they've come after a year of being together even when most of the time they were apart living in different countries. _

_Richard: (in his mind) **Joe is right. Francine needs me. She and Mina both need me. I can protect them; I have to. I have to get them back home. I need to keep them safe.**_

_Richard plays with the cross in his hands and says a prayer in his head while watching Francine sleeping. When he's done with his quiet and humble prayer, Richard looks up at the sky to watch the sun go down. He knows it's about time to leave the rooftop with the group to head into the nearby forest, so he takes in a deep breath and looks back down at Francine and Mina. Richard knows that now is when he needs to step up to the plate; now is when he can't be scared or hindered by any of his fears. He knows that now is the time to keep his promise to Jenny and Joe, to keep Francine and Mina alive at any cost. Richard accepts what he needs to do, what his main priority is now that the world has flipped upside-down. Richard is willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill his promise to Jenny and Joe.  
><em>

Richard is wide awake in the same position last night with Beth around his arm. They're both sitting in the passenger seat of a car. Beth is fast asleep on Richard's chest while he's still playing with his cross in his hand. Richard couldn't get any sleep last night, his mind racing with thoughts and guilt of the past and present. His eyes are darkened by the turn of recent events, and the bags under his eyes are deeper and more prominent than ever before. Richard sits there thinking of his promise to Jenny and Joe. His heavy, tired eyes start to droop lightly, but his mind is the first to shut off. The world blackens around Richard, and he can hear Jenny's voice as if she's far away calling out for him. Richard sees nothing, but he hears Jenny's voice calling out his name.

Richard: J-Jenny? Jenny, is that you?

Jenny: Richard, stay strong.

Richard: Jenny, where are you? I can't see anything.

Jenny: Don't give up. You know deep in your heart that Francine and Mina are alive.

Richard: Jenny...

Jenny: Remember the promise you made me. You're going to keep my sisters safe and alive. You're going to take my sisters home.

Joe: Francine needs you now more than ever, Richard.

Richard: Joe! Joe, you're here too?

Joe: Francine won't make it without you, man. You need to find her and quick before you lose her.

Richard: Wh...what do you mean before I lose her? She's...going to die?

There's no response.

Richard: How do I find Francine? Where do I even begin to look?

Richard still doesn't hear a response from Jenny or Joe.

Richard: Joe? Jenny?

No response. Richard is all alone in the black darkness, and his heart pounds fast. He's afraid for Francine; Joe's words are ringing in Richard's mind. _Francine won't make it without you. You need to find her before you lose her. _Richard snaps awake with a gasp and he quickly looks around for signs of walkers. He sees the road completely empty of walkers, and he composes himself to not wake up Beth from his startle. Richard stares out the window up to the dark grey clouds. He worries that Francine is in big trouble with Joe's words engrained in Richard's brain. Richard looks at the cross in his hands, worrying that Joe and Jenny came to see him as an ominous warning of the future. Richard puts the cross to his lips and prays in his mind for Francine's safety. Daryl stirs awake early, and he sees Richard and Beth together on the passenger seat. Daryl watches Richard looking out the window with his cross to his lips, staring out blankly in deep thought. Richard can hear Daryl moving around in the back, and he looks back to Daryl.

Daryl: D'you get any sleep?

Richard: No. I couldn't.

Daryl: (glances at Beth) She okay?

Richard: Yeah, I think so. We should head out and look for the others.

Daryl: Yeah, sure.

Daryl gets out of the car, and Richard gently wakes up Beth. Beth gasps awake as if she just woke up from a nightmare. She clings onto Richard's shirt tightly and looks around. For a moment, Beth can't believe that she's still out on the road when just yesterday she thought she'd have many more peaceful days within the Prison.

Richard: You ready to head out?

Beth: (looks up at Richard and back out the window) Y-Yeah.

Richard opens the door and walks out. He puts his hand out and Beth takes it. Richard helps Beth out of the car, and the 3 look out to the road before them.

Beth: Are we taking the road or the woods?

Richard: We should take the road.

Daryl: We'll be vulnerable.

Richard: It's the easiest way to spot the others and for us to be spotted.

Beth: Do we want to be spotted?

Richard: I'm willing to take the risk. (looks at Beth and Daryl) Are you?

Daryl nods, agreeing with Richard. Beth nods too, and the 3 friends start walking down the road together with their weapons in hand.

Daryl: Where's the wolf?

Richard: I don't know. I haven't seen Eldin in a while...

Robin wakes up hearing Francine retching in the bathroom. Robin slowly stands on his feet, kicking aside the sleeping bag from the fireplace. He cautiously walks out of the living room over to the bathroom door and knocks on it.

Robin: Francine? Are you alright in there?

Francine: (weakly, hoarsely) I'm fine.

Robin can hear Francine moving around in the bathroom cleaning up after herself. She opens the bathroom door, and Robin can see Francine doesn't look so good.

Robin: Uh...not to sound rude or anything, but you look terrible.

Francine ignores Robin's comment and walks past him towards the fireplace in the living room. She sits down next to Nayru and rests her head on Nayru's warm brown fur. Nayru whimpers a little as if she can sense Francine's pain. Robin walks towards Francine and opens a can of fruit for her. He sits down next to her on the ground and hands her the can of fruit. Francine feels sick again, and Robin watches her trying her best to hold everything in. Robin leans in and puts his hand on Francine's forehead to feel her temperature. She's not burning up, which is odd considering he thought Francine is struck with a fever.

Robin: Maybe we should stay in for another day. You look like you need the rest.

Robin touches Francine's cheek gently with his hand, and he feels her soft skin against his rough hands. Francine glances at Robin and their eyes lock for a quick moment. She quickly looks away and leans away from Robin's touch.

Francine: I need to find my sister and my boyfriend.

Robin: You won't make it long out there if you're really as bad as you look. It's gonna be winter soon, and it'll be bad out there in the woods.

Francine: Winter?

Francine didn't keep track of the days ever since the world turned upside-down. She never realized just how long it's been since the dead have taken over the world. It seems like it was just yesterday when it was summer vacation, when Jenny, Joe, Richard, Francine, and Mina were innocently excited for the water park. But now it's winter. Months had gone by and Francine was completely oblivious to time restlessly moving on.

Francine: What month is it?

Robin: Late November. Thanksgiving was just 4 days ago.

Francine's mouth slightly drops thinking of how much time had gone by without much thought.

Francine: (whispers to herself) Winter...(looks up at Robin) Does it snow here?

Robin: I don't know. This is my first time in Atlanta. I'm from New York. Well, actually I was born in Iowa and moved to New York when I was 19. You know thinking about it, I don't know anything about you except your name and that you're looking for your sister and boyfriend.

Francine: I'm from California. I'm an accountant.

Robin: Hm, nice. I'm a film producer. My recent work was in Canada for a few months. I came to Atlanta for just a random vacation. You know, to just...get away from it all with my girlfriend.

Francine: My boyfriend's a director. He's from Canada.

Robin: Oh really? What's his name? Maybe I know him.

Francine is about to utter Richard's name, but just the mere thought of their distant peaceful past makes Francine choke. Robin can see how painful it is for Francine to continue pretending to be strong.

Robin: You should rest a bit. Did you sleep at all last night?

Francine: I couldn't.

Robin: Then get some sleep. I'll be here, and if you need any help just give me a shout.

Francine looks at Robin suspiciously. She doesn't trust Robin because she doesn't know him at all, but she knows she feels terrible. Francine knows that if she pursues her search for Richard and Mina today, she'll end up getting herself killed because she's not 100% herself.

Robin: Come on. I'll help you to the bed.

Robin makes Francine put her arm around his shoulder, and he puts his hand around her waist. He helps her up and takes her to the bedroom. Robin helps Francine onto the bed and he even tucks her under the sheets.

Robin: I'll be right out there, so if you need anything let me know.

Francine: (nods) Alright. Thank you.

Robin: Yeah. (smiles) Sleep tight.

Robin walks back towards the door, and Nayru comes trotting in past him. Nayru then hops onto bed next to Francine and makes herself comfortable, placing herself so that she's facing the door. Nayru then looks up at Robin as if giving him permission to close the bedroom door now. Robin closes the door, and Francine puts her hand on her stomach still feeling sick. All Francine can think about as she closes her eyes is the fact that she's late for her period. She became worried a week ago when a month went by without a period, and now that another week has gone by Francine is now very worried. Francine prays in her mind, praying hard that she's not pregnant, not at a time like this, not in a world like this. Francine can't fathom how difficult it will be to be pregnant in this world and trying to find Richard and Mina. She knows her pregnancy will only slow her down, and every second Mina is out there on her own kills Francine inside more and more. But she doesn't want to abort the baby especially since it's Richard's. She knows she may never have another chance to give birth to Richard's baby, so she wants this to be her time yet Francine is filled with fears and doubts about the well-being of the baby's future. Francine lets her tears fall silently, and she sniffles. Nayru rests her head on Francine's stomach gently, and her stomach feels warmer by Nayru's warmth. Francine pets Nayru and drifts off to sleep thinking about the possibility of a baby growing inside her stomach oblivious to the kind of maleficent world it will be born into...

Mina wakes up when she feels Faron moving around. Mina groans but she hears the snarl of walkers. She gasps and quickly hops into the wagon. She puts the shield over the top of the wagon to cover herself from the walkers' sight. Faron just hangs around watching the walkers walk past the wagon not suspecting a thing. When all is silent from walkers for 2 minutes, Mina peeks out to make sure everything is clear. She sighs and steps out of the wagon.

Mina: I'm thirsty. Let's find water.

Faron walks to the wagon and saddles himself. Mina leaves the shield in the wagon and walks alongside Faron to go searching for a fresh body of water. As the two trot along through the woods, Mina looks around the woods observing. She has no idea where she is and in which direction she's heading. All Mina can remember about where to go if she's lost is North, to follow the Northern Star. Mina looks up at the grey skies and fears that it'll rain soon. She looks forward and notices multiple walkers dead and rotting around a climbable tree. Faron keeps walking on but notices that Mina isn't following. Faron looks back and sees Mina staring at the pile of dead walkers around the trees. Faron whimpers lightly, trying to get Mina to concentrate on moving.

Mina: Sh.

There's a very large and thick stick resting beside the tree, and a third of the stick is crusted with blood on it. Mina cautiously approaches the stick, and she looks into the face of a dead walker nearest the stick. Faron whimpers again louder as if begging for Mina to continue walking on. Mina ignores Faron trying to grab her attention, and she squats down to the dead walker. It's a woman with a heart locket around her rotten flesh. Mina reaches her hand out and pokes the walker. There is no movement. Mina then grabs the heart locket and rips it off the woman. She holds the necklace in her hands and opens the locket. Mina sees a picture of a man and woman posing together happily. Mina can see that these two are a lovely couple, and she wonders if the man is also dead. She then turns the locket back and sees two names engraved into it, Robin + Jenna. Mina looks back at the picture of the couple, and she rubs her eyes. Mina squints hard, but she can't see the picture clearly the way she did a few seconds ago. She rubs her eyes more and looks at the picture, but it's still very blurry. Mina then looks to her side at Faron, and the world around Mina becomes very blurry. She stands up, and Faron hops onto his feet looking up at Mina. Faron can sense something is wrong with Mina, and he whimpers lightly. Mina shakes her head with her eyes closed, and when she opens her eyes her vision is back to normal. Faron touches his wet nose onto Mina's hand, and she looks at her wolf friend.

Mina: Come on. Let's go find water.

Mina puts the heart locket into her pocket in her dress, and she grabs the large walking stick crusted with walker blood. She and Faron continue searching for a body of water side-by-side through the forest with Faron carrying the wagon and shield while Mina drags the walking stick along.

* * *

><p>Beth watches Richard start a fire, and Daryl returns with rabbits and squirrels for breakfast. Eldin comes trotting back after his own hunt. Daryl skins the small animals, and Beth sets the animals over the fire to start cooking. Richard stares into the fire playing with his cross necklace in his hand. Richard can't stop thinking about Mina and Francine's well-being, and he can't stop thinking about Jenny and Joe. Though it's been months since he first lost Jenny and Joe, Richard continues to think about them wishing and hoping they can still help him become a better person even when they're not on this earth anymore. Daryl sits by Richard's side as Beth continues to cook their breakfast.<p>

Daryl: We're gonna find them all.

Richard glances at Daryl and looks back at the fire.

Daryl: Don't lose hope, kid.

Richard: I know they're still alive and they're wandering around tryna look for me. I just...I need them with me. (sighs and looks at his cross) Before shit hit the fans, it wasn't just me, Francine, and Mina. There was Francine's older sister, Jenny, and Joe. He was Jenny's fiancee.

Daryl looks at Richard, surprised he never heard of Francine's other sister.

Richard: I couldn't tell you guys about it because it still hurt talking about them. It was something I never wanted to talk about because of the memories of what happened that day still haunt me. (pauses) Jenny was the first to go. She was the first to be bit. We were all at the water park when it happened, and we just booked it back to the hotel, and we locked ourselves in our room. Jenny knew she was slipping away, and I watched her. I watched her die. I watched Joe cradle Jenny in his arms, and...the moment she...the moment she died, everything just went dark. Jenny was always the voice of reason in the family. She could think things through straight. I mean, she was a lawyer...she and Joe both were lawyers. But I promised Jenny...I promised her I'd keep Francine and Mina safe. I promised them both I'd keep Francine and Mina safe. But now that they're not...now that we're not together, I just...they're haunting me, man. And they won't stop until I find Francine and Mina.

Daryl can see how much Richard is struggling by the look in his eyes. Though Richard is keeping a cool composure in his voice as he's confessing to his friends, Daryl and Beth can both see the look of distress in Richard's eyes, how weary and tired he is for living in fear and horror every waking and sleeping moment.

Richard: I keep seeing Jenny's face...when she came back to life as a walker...she comes after me. She reaches out to grab me, the life in her eyes are gone, and her mouth is just wide open ready to bite me. She comes after me and almost bites me, but then I always wake up. Right before she can bite me in the arm, I wake up...and Joe...(scoffs) I don't know who's worse, Jenny or Joe...

Richard shudders at the thought of his nightmares of Joe. He sees himself standing on the rooftop with Deana, Charles, Ronald, Dennis, and Francis staring at Richard from behind. In front of the 5 people on the rooftop are Francine and Mina. Francine is holding Mina, making Mina unable to see what's going to happen. Richard can still feel the cold of the metal shower pole in his hands. He looks down at Joe who is looking up at him. He can see Joe fading away into the darkness by the look in his eye and his slowed down breathing. Richard holds the metal pole tightly in his hands and takes in a deep breath, waiting for the moment Joe breathes his last breath. Richard takes a moment and drives the metal pole deep through Joe's head, and his body trembles from having just killed a good man. Richard falls to his knees, looking at Joe eye-level and he takes the metal pole out of Joe's head. Richard tosses the metal pole aside 1/3 of the pole covered in Joe's blood. He looks into Joe's lifeless eyes, blood dripping down his face from the hole in his head. Richard snaps awake from his thoughts when he hears Daryl's voice pipe up.

Daryl: We all have ghosts that haunt us, that _will_ haunt us for the rest of our lives. The only way to deal with them is to face them head-on. You can't be scared of the ghosts or else they'll get inside your head, start to twist you up, know what I mean.

Richard is quiet. He knows that losing Francine and Mina isn't his fault, but he can't stop feeling guilty that he put them both in danger. And now he's paying a dear price: his mind.

Beth: The food's ready.

Beth hands the cooked meat to Daryl and Richard, and all 3 eat quietly together...

_Francine is in her home back in California. There she is sitting out in her backyard with her entire family. She can smell and feel the ocean, which is the backyard of her backyard. Francine feels the warm sun on her skin, and she hears young laughter. She looks back and sees a young brunette girl and a blonde-haired boy playing together. They both look to be about young teenagers, and they clearly like one another. Francine hears the back door opening.  
><em>

_Girl: Daddy!_

_The young girl runs to her father walking into the backyard, and Francine looks to see Rick hug and kiss his daughter.  
><em>

_Boy: Dad!_

_The young boy runs to his father, and Francine looks to see Richard hug his son. Richard then smiles at Francine and walks to her to kiss her. Francine looks around her backyard. She sees the group all together in her home, and she even sees her two brothers, Philip and Johnny. Everyone is relaxing in the backyard, and Daryl comes running into the backyard with a look of terror on his face that breaks the good mood._

_Daryl: The walkers are coming!_

_Everyone looks at Daryl in shock of the words he spit out._

_Daryl: The walkers are coming! We need to get out!_

_Rick: How bad is it?_

_Daryl: Surrounded. There's no way we'd make it out alive if we stay here._

_Boy: Mom..._

_The young boy runs to Francine's side afraid, and she wraps her arms around her son._

_Richard: Alright everyone, you know the plan. We need to get to the boats now!_

Francine wakes up in the middle of the dream, and her heart is racing. She quickly gets out of bed and looks out the window into the forest. She sees no signs of walkers nearby. Francine sighs with relief, and she puts her hand on her stomach. In her heart, Francine is now absolutely sure she's pregnant with a boy. Now she knows she can't leave the cabin for a while for the sake of her baby. Francine sighs and steps out of the bedroom. She sees Robin sitting next to the fireplace eating freshly picked berries with Nayru laying down by his side. Robin smiles seeing Francine awake.

Robin: Good afternoon. How are you feeling?

Francine: I'm fine. Thanks.

Robin: Want some berries?

Francine: I'm good.

Francine sits by Nayru in front of the fireplace, and she pets Nayru gently.

Robin: (watches Francine) Are you okay?

Francine pauses for a moment, wondering if she should tell Robin.

Francine: ...I...think I'm pregnant.

Robin: ...you _think_ you're pregnant?

Francine: (nods and looks at Robin) I'm late for my period, and I...I had this weird dream.

Robin: Well how late are you?

Francine: Two weeks.

Robin is quiet and looks into the fireplace. He then looks back at Francine.

Robin: So what are you going to do?

Francine: ...I think I'm going to have to stay in the cabin for a while. At least until I give birth...if I give birth.

Robin: What do you mean "if"?

Francine: I don't know...maybe I'm _not _pregnant. And if I am...who says it'll make it _all_ 9 months inside of me? Miscarriages aren't rare...

Robin: (pauses) You're not talking about abortion, are you?

Francine: No, no not abortion. (puts her hand on her stomach) I would love to have this baby. I mean, I just never thought I'd have my first baby this young but now that the world's changed...I want this baby. But I'm really scared.

Robin looks at Francine, and she looks back at him.

Francine: I'm scared I won't be able to protect him. I'm scared I'm going to watch a walker kill him...

Robin: You're never going to have to worry about that because I know you'd never let something like that happen. I know you'll be a great mother, and you'll protect your baby with your life. And you won't have to do it alone. I'll help you.

Francine: (surprised) You will?

Robin: Sure. I'd love to help you raise your baby, Francine.

Francine is touched by Robin's words, surprised that a stranger would offer to help her raise her child.

Francine: (smiles) Thank you, Robin. You're...you're a good guy. (sighs) So I guess I'll just make camp in this cabin for a few months.

Robin: (nods) Sounds like a plan.

Francine looks back into the fireplace.

Francine: You realize how difficult everything will be with a baby. It'll cry at the most random and unfortunate times. We'll need to feed another mouth.

Robin: Yeah, but just the joy that comes with a new baby...I think it'll be worth it. We need that kind of good in this world, don't you think so?

Francine: (looks at Robin) Yeah. But you really think it's a good idea?

Robin: Yes. I mean, yes, this world is a complete shit-show and there's probably no hope of escaping from the dead. But this baby you're gonna have, it just proves that we humans are meant to be on this world, not the dead. And we won't lose it to the dead. We'll adapt, we'll learn, we'll fight. And you'll do it all for the sake of your baby.

Francine smiles weakly to herself.

Francine: Wow...that was...actually encouraging.

Robin: (smiles) It was meant to be. And I'll be helping you too.

Francine: You're very kind, Robin. It's my burden, but you...you want to help me.

Robin: Hey, you saved my life, remember? If it weren't for you, I'd be dead. I still haven't forgotten that.

Francine nods with a smile.

Robin: So, how about some berries?

Francine grabs a handful of berries and eats them with Robin in front of the fireplace more relaxed than before...

Faron trots alongside Mina's side as the two wander around in the woods together.

Mina: Maybe we should try to find the road. Maybe Franny and Richard are taking the road.

Faron just trots in the woods as if ignoring Mina's suggestion.

Mina: No? No road, Faron?

Faron keeps walking, and Mina continues to pull the wagon following Faron. As the two come across a clearing through the bushes, Mina gasps seeing a fresh mountain river running through the woods. Mina runs to the river with her wagon as Faron trots to her side. Mina quickly drinks the water happily, and then she washes her face.

Mina: Ah, it feels so good!

Mina starts playing around in the river, wetting her clothes but not caring. Faron growls and Mina stops playing in the river. She steps out of the water and stands next to Faron, looking around the trees that surround her. Mina hears a ruffle in the bushes, and she looks to see a man in American military uniform step forth with his rifle in hand. The man doesn't believe what he's seeing, a little child out in the wild all by herself with a grown wolf and a wagon with a large shield in it. The man can see how dirty Mina is, dirt on her face, hair, and clothes as if she's been in the woods for a while. The soldier cautiously approaches Mina, and Faron growls louder.

Man: (calmly to Mina) It's alright. I won't hurt you.

Mina eyes the man. She sees that the man is completely drenched in blood, and she knows it must be walker blood because of the familiar stench. His hair, his military uniform, and his face are all covered with walker blood as he's been going Predator-fashion. But through the stains of blood on the man, Mina can see into the man's eyes. Mina can see this man has been alone for a while, fending for himself in this hell-hole. The man stares back at Mina, still unable to piece together how a little child could survive on her own in this world. The man looks at the wolf growling at him, and he's even more confused as to how this child tamed a wild wolf. He wonders where she got the wagon and shield. The man wonders if this girl came from the sound of gunfire that echoed through the forest yesterday.

Man: (to Mina as he puts his gun away) My name is Sergeant Richard Winters. What's your name?

Mina: My name is Mina.

Man: (kneels down to look Mina eye-level) Hello Mina. Have you been living out here in the woods by yourself?

Mina: Just for 1 day. Yesterday my home was taken by a bad man with a black eye.

Man: Did this man use a lot of guns?

Mina: Yes. He had tanks too. Everyone ran away, and I had to run away too with Faron.

Winters nods, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. A few days ago, he heard the gunfire war between the Prison and the Governor's people from afar. The sergeant decided to check it out for himself, tired of being alone in the woods to fend for himself. Winters was hoping that he'd run into adults, and the child came as a complete surprise as if nature was playing a cruel joke on him.

Mina: Are you a soldier?

Mina's words snap Winters out of his thoughts, and he looks at the child secretly disappointed that he didn't find what he was looking for.

Winters: Yes, I am.

Mina: Can you help me, Mr. Sergeant? I lost my sister and her boyfriend. I want to find them.

Winters: (nods) Sure. I can help you find them.

* * *

><p>It's late at night, and Daryl, Beth, and Richard sleep in another car they found on the side of the road. Daryl is asleep in the back of the car while Richard and Beth sleep in the passenger's seat. Beth is fast asleep with her head resting on Richard's chest, and Richard is awake looking out at the sky through the window. Richard continues to hold his cross in his hand, praying in his mind for the safety of Francine and Mina...<p>

Francine is lying in bed as Robin let her take the bed for a few months while she's pregnant. Francine has her hand on her stomach, and she thinks about Richard. She wishes he was with her so that he would be the one to take care of her, but she's happy that Robin is kind enough to help her instead. Francine sighs and looks at the slightly open door. She's afraid to close it because the wood is creaky, so she quietly moves her hand from her stomach down to her pants. Francine gently starts to touch herself, and she closes her eyes imagining Richard. She gasps quietly, and she continues pleasing herself. Robin is in the living room thinking about his future with Francine and the baby. Though he encouraged Francine to keep the baby, he has his fears and doubts too. Robin wonders if Francine is asleep because he wants to head to the river for a dive. He makes it to the door of the bedroom and is about to knock when he hears a gasping. Robin peeks in to see Francine lying in bed with the blanket over her. He can see her legs are up on the bed, and he knows Francine is touching herself by the way she's breathing. Robin's mouth drops open as he watches Francine pleasing herself, breathing heavily. He continues to watch until Francine reaches her climax. He could imagine seeing Francine's toes curling judging by the way she's whimpering. When Robin watches Francine shuddering with pleasure, he swiftly and quietly walks off back towards the fireplace. Robin lies on the sleeping bag, unable to get Francine out of his head. He remembers the time he watched her bathing in the river naked, and now this new image provokes Robin even further...

Mina starts a fire, and Winters is impressed. Mina looks up at the sergeant smiling at her with a surprised look on his face that the little child is handy.

Winters: Where did you learn how to start a fire?

Mina: My sister. She was a Girl Scout.

Winters smiles and is happy with the warmth of the fire. He starts skinning the rabbits he hunted down, and Mina watches him. He's surprised the little girl isn't grossed out by the sight.

Mina: Are you supposed to do that first?

Winters: Yes. It's easier to cook the meat if you skin the animal first.

Mina: Oh. Faron just ripped open a rabbit for me, and I cooked the meat like that.

Winters: (weak smile) That's another way to do it, I suppose. So this wolf, it's yours?

Mina: Yes. Faron and I have been together ever since I found him when he was a baby. Franny and Richard have Faron's siblings.

Winters finds it amusing that wolves would choose to protect humans from the dead.

Mina: Do you have a family too, Mr. Sergeant?

Winters: ...No.

Mina: Really? Not even a mom and dad?

Winters: They both passed away. My father passed away when I was young, and my mother passed away a few years back from stomach cancer.

Mina: Oh, I'm sorry...you don't have brothers or sisters too?

Winters: (shakes head) Only child.

Mina: Well Mr. Sergeant, you can be a part of my family then. When we find Franny and Richard, we'll all take care of each other and live together.

Winters smiles at the innocence of this child. Listening to Mina makes him wish he had a daughter just like her if only he ever loved a woman.


	11. Chapter 11

Mina runs to Winters asleep on the ground next to a tree. She runs to him with a big goofy smile on her face, and she hops onto her knees in front of him.

Mina: (nudges Winters) Mr. Sergeant! Mr. Sergeant, wake up!

The sergeant snaps awake immediately and bolts up onto his feet as a reflex with his rifle in his hands. He frantically looks around and sees no walkers around, so he looks down at the small child looking up at him with that big goofy grin on her face. He notices that she's kneeling on white snow, and he looks up around the forest again more focused on the bigger picture. All the trees are glistening white with snow, and Winters can see his own warm breath against the icy cold weather. Winters can't believe it's snowing, and he puts his hand out to feel the snowflakes falling onto the palm of his hand.

Mina: Isn't it beautiful, Mr. Sergeant?

Winters: (looking at the snowflake melting in his palm) Yes, it is.

Winters looks back up at the snow gently falling onto the tree branches. The snow reminds him of his youth when he grew up in the East Coast, how his mother would make him hot chocolate after an entire day of playing in the snow with his friends. Mina looks up at Winters just staring up at the sky thinking deeply to himself. She holds the sergeant's hand, and he looks back down at the little girl who's looking up at him still smiling.

Mina: Will you play in the snow with me?

Before he can respond, Winters hears footsteps approaching. He quickly puts up his gun and sees Faron trotting back with 3 rabbits in his mouth. Faron's white fur camouflages with the snow in stark contrast with the blood dripping down Faron's fangs onto the snow.

Mina: Breakfast!

Mina prepares the fire with all the twigs, but she can't get it to catch on fire. Mina keeps trying to start the fire, but Winters can see it won't work the way it usually does because of the freezing weather. Winters takes out a box of matches from his backpack, and he throws the lit match to the twigs causing it to catch on fire. Mina then grabs one rabbit while Winters grabs the other one. He hands Mina a small knife strapped to his boot while Winters take out a bigger knife for himself. The two start skinning their breakfast while sitting next to one another. Winters glances at Mina, watching her concentrating hard as she's skinning her rabbit exactly the way he taught her. He sees that she's doing a pretty good job considering she's only 4-years-old. Winters is done skinning his rabbit, so he watches Mina skinning hers.

Winters: You missed a spot there.

Mina: Where?

Winters points to the little patch of fur still on the rabbit. Mina then quickly skins that part off, holding the fully naked dead rabbit in her hand. Winters then sets up the animals above the fire to cook them. Faron eats the third rabbit laying down by Mina's side on the snow. Mina watches Faron devouring the rabbit as she pets him gently.

Mina: (looks up at Winters) Mr. Sergeant, do you think Franny and Richard are alive?

Winters looks at the little child looking up at him, hoping for an honest answer. He then looks away to the landscape of the glistening forest.

Winters: ...I'm not sure. My own soldiers couldn't survive more than a month out in these woods.

Mina: You were with other people before?

Winters: Yes.

Mina: What happened to them?

Winters: All of them were bit...but the last two killed one another.

Mina: Why did they kill each other?

Winters eyes Mina wondering if he should tell the little child what had happened to his platoon of new trainees. It was so quick how each trainee died every day. They were unable to adapt to the new situation, unable to learn the way Winters did after each new encounter with walkers. Every death of his trainee still haunts Winters every night, and the last murders of his trainees is the worst of them all. It still sickens Winters how they turned on each other so fast.

_Winters and his two last trainees run away as fast as they can through the ghost town infested with walkers. The walkers are chasing after them, but the 3 humans are too quick for the slow walkers. Winters and his two trainees run into the forest, and after running for a bit they come to a stop to catch their breath._

_1st trainee: Sergeant! He's bit!_

_Winters looks back at his trainees and looks at the 2nd trainee. He can see a part of the trainee's arm is bit. The 1st trainee points his gun at the 2nd trainee without hesitation, and Winters can see that the 1st trainee is going to pull the trigger without thinking twice. The 2nd trainee pleads frantically for the 1st trainee to not shoot him._

_1st trainee: I'm sorry, man. But you're bit. You'll turn into one of them._

_Winters: (calmly) Private Johnson, lower your weapon now._

_1st trainee: (frantic) I can't, sergeant. I need to kill him. He's bit!_

_Winters: (sternly) Private Johnson, I will not ask you to lower your weapon again! / 2nd trainee: (begging) Please, don't do this, Bobby. Don't kill me._

_1st trainee: (looks at the 2nd trainee) I'm sorry, Jake._

_Winters: Enough!_

_Before Winters can stop the 1st trainee from shooting the 2nd trainee, the 2nd trainee takes out his handgun and the two privates shoot one another at the same time. Winters quickly runs to the 2nd trainee and sees he's dead with a bullet in his head. He sighs and closes the trainee's eyes. Then he walks over to the 1st trainee bleeding out from his neck. Blood is pouring out through the trainee's neck and spilling out from his mouth. The man is convulsing from the blood loss, yet he's still conscious. Winters makes the trainee move his hand away from his neck to see the extent of the damage, and Winters notes his artery burst from the bullet. He knows the trainee will bleed out for a few more seconds and die. Winters looks down at his trainee, and the trainee looks back up at Winters unable to speak. But Winters can see how sorry the trainee is for killing his fellow platoon member and how sorry he is for disobeying the sergeant's orders._

_Winters: (disappointed) Relax, Private Johnson. Just relax.  
><em>

_The trainee looks up at Winters unable to relax, and he dies with a look of guilt on his face. Winters hears the snarl of walkers from afar approaching because of the gun shots, so Winters grabs all the weapons on both trainees. He hangs the guns around his shoulders, grabs the backpack filled with ammo and water, and runs away from the murder scene._

Winters: They couldn't accept that the world turned into..._this_. They couldn't adapt, and they weren't willing to learn. Even if they didn't kill each other, they wouldn't have survived for long.

Mina: Well, my sister is smart. I know she's alive, and Richard too.

Winters doesn't answer. Deep in his heart, he believes that Mina's sister and her boyfriend are dead. He's only ever been around people who couldn't survive long out in the woods, and if his trainees couldn't survive then he figured there's no way an accountant and film maker could survive for this long...

Francine is out in the woods with the snow falling on her long hair. There's a barely noticeable bump on Francine's stomach, and she has both hands on her stomach over this bump. She's still cast with doubt about having the baby in this kind of world, but as each day goes by the more weary she becomes thinking about it. Francine is tired of pondering about whether having this baby is a smart decision or not, and all she knows is that she doesn't have the guts to terminate this baby. She decided not long ago to stop thinking about whether she's making a grave mistake and to focus on taking care of the baby as best as she can. Francine is at the frozen river by herself with Nayru, looking out at the frozen ice. She slowly takes a step onto the ice and looks back at Nayru still standing in the snow.

Francine: Come on, Nayru.

Nayru cautiously takes a step onto the ice and when Nayru walks further she slips. Nayru slips head first, and Francine bellows out a laugh. Francine grabs onto her stomach laughing at Nayru, and the wolf whimpers quickly hopping back onto the snow. Nayru watches Francine start to skate on the ice with her hands on her stomach. Francine used to love ice-skating when she was young in winter time. She'd always go to the ice-rink with Jenny, and the two would skate for hours until the blisters on their feet started bleeding. The ice cold air piercing Francine's face sends chills down her spine and brings back memories of Richard.

_Richard: An ice-rink?_

_Richard and Francine walk hand-in-hand to the ice-rink inside a large shopping mall in California._

_Francine: You can skate right?_

_Richard: (sheepish) Uh...no, I uh actually never..._

_Francine: You never ice-skated once in your life?_

_Richard: No._

_Francine: But you're from Canada. It snows there all the time._

_Richard: You're from California and you've never surfed before. AND you live right next to the beach._

_Francine: Touche. Well, let's go rent some ice-skates._

_Richard and Francine head over to the booth for ice-skates, and the two put on their skates. Francine steps into the rink first, and she looks back at Richard. Little girls push Richard out of the way to get onto the rink._

_Francine: Come on, babe._

_Richard: So, do I HAVE to get into the rink?_

_Francine: Little girls can do it. Why can't a grown man do it?_

_Richard: (growls under his breath) There are lots of things grown men can't do that little girls can._

_Francine: Oh yeah? Like what?_

_Richard: Gymnastics._

_Francine: ...touche...whatever! Just get in the rink, babe._

_Francine puts her hand out and Richard takes it. She pulls Richard into the rink, and she's surprised that Richard was telling the truth about never having ice-skated before. In just a few seconds, Richard falls on his knees and everyone skates around Richard to not crash into him._

Francine smiles remembering just how bad Richard was at ice-skating, and she's so lost in her memories that she doesn't realize she's skating right towards a walker limping on the ice. Nayru howls loudly frantically, snapping Francine awake from her thoughts. She sees herself skating right towards the walker, and there's no way Francine can stop because she's skating in her shoes with no ability to brake. Francine knows she has to stop or else the walker will kill her, so she falls on her back and crashes into the walker feet first. The walker falls down face flat onto the ice and Francine quickly scrambles back onto her feet on the ice heading towards the snow. The walker on the ground grabs Francine by the ankle, making Francine fall hard on her stomach on the ice. Francine frantically kicks the walker in the face and once again scrambles onto her feet. As Francine finally manages to stand on the snow, she sees a hoard of walkers heading her way through the snowy forest.

Francine: Oh shit.

Francine turns around to run back to Nayru to head to the cabin, but she has a sharp excruciating pain in her stomach. Francine groans loudly in pain, and she falls to her knees holding onto her stomach unable to stand on her feet from the extreme pain. She's completely terrified that she hurt the baby when she fell on her stomach on the ice, and Francine starts trembling overwhelmed with so much emotions and thoughts. Nayru runs to Francine's side, whimpering for her to get on her feet. Francine groans in pain, unable to move no matter how hard she's trying. The walkers draw nearer hearing Francine's groans of pain. Francine gasps when she hears a howl from afar, and Nayru howls back an answer. Francine looks back and sees the hoard of walkers drawing nearer, and with all her might she wobbles onto her feet still with a great amount of pain in her stomach. She hobbles away from the walkers as fast as she can with Nayru by her side when Eldin appears through the snowy forest running towards her and Nayru. Francine gasps seeing the grey wolf running past her towards Nayru, and the two wolves run away from Francine towards the hoard of walkers. Eldin and Nayru attack the walkers to allow Francine to escape to safety. Francine runs away from the icy river back towards the cabin, and she runs into Robin picking berries not too far from the cabin. Robin can see Francine in a panic and in pain.

Robin: (concerned) What happened?

Francine: (breathing quickly and wincing in pain) I-I was being chased by walkers. And I fell hard on my stomach. We need to get into the cabin now.

The two run into the cabin and they watch through a window a group of walkers approach the cabin. Robin and Francine hide in the bedroom together both equipped with knives. Eldin and Nayru howl together, and Francine and Robin can hear the snarls and tearing of flesh outside of the cabin from the two wolves protecting Francine from harm. Francine groans in pain again as her stomach is hit with another sharp pain as if a knife is stabbing her. Robin looks at Francine and wraps his arms tightly around her to keep her close. Francine grabs onto Robin tightly, breathing rapidly trying to alleviate the pain...

Beth, Richard, and Daryl all sit around the fire as they feel the snow falling down on them. Beth looks up with a big grin watching the snow fall while Daryl is busy skinning little animals. Richard just stares into the fire, preoccupied with his own thoughts. Beth looks at Daryl then to Richard and notices he needs to think about other things for a change.

Beth: Hey, let's try to find a frozen lake today.

Daryl: (eyes Beth) Gonna go ice-skating?

Beth: Yeah. I used to love ice-skating when I was a little girl. How about it, Richard?

Richard: Ice-skating? Uh...y-yeah. Yeah, we can do that.

After the 3 finish eating their lunch together, they walk off into the forest than the road today.

Daryl: Eldin's been missing for some time.

Richard: Yeah. I mean, he's still a wild wolf.

Beth: Wonder where he is.

The 3 stop when they hear wolves howling from afar.

Beth: Do you think that's Eldin?

Richard: Let's go find out.

The 3 continue walking through the woods with Richard leading the way, machete in hand.

Beth: Hey, hey look.

Daryl and Richard look back at Beth staring down at the snow. They both look down to see a blood trail in the snow in a specific direction.

Richard: (to Daryl) What do you think?

Daryl: Just an animal taking its food somewhere. Nothing special.

Beth: Then let's keep looking for a frozen lake. I'm sure it should be somewhere around here.

Daryl and Beth move along as Richard stares at the blood trail in the snow. Richard follows the blood trail and the pair of paw prints embedded in the snow. He follows the trail until he sees freshly burnt twigs. He stares at this little campfire, and he takes a step forward. Richard can see little animal bones on the ground slightly covered in snow. Richard knows for sure that whoever was here was here not too long ago. He kneels down to the snow, looking around to see if he can find any footprints.

Beth: Richard?

Beth and Daryl find Richard as they followed the blood trail and foot prints. Richard doesn't reply, continuing to search for clues as to where these people went.

Beth: Richard?

Richard: Someone was just here not too long ago.

Daryl kneels down next to Richard and looks into the snow.

Richard: Can you see a trail?

Daryl: No. They've been gone long enough for the snow to cover their tracks.

Richard sighs heavily, wishing that there could've been clues as to who was here and where they went. He has a feeling it was either Francine or Mina because of the little fire and paw prints around it.

Beth: Well, Daryl and I found what we were looking for.

Richard looks back and Beth smiles. She leads Richard away from the trail and they see a frozen river in the clearing through the woods. It's a beautiful frozen river glistening under the winter sun.

Richard: Wow...you really found it.

Beth: Come on. Let's have a little fun for once. We deserve it.

Beth is the first to run to the frozen river with Richard and Daryl following from behind. Beth hops onto the ice, and Richard watches Beth skating around reminding him of Francine. He smiles watching Beth having fun skating around on her own. She looks at Richard and skates to him and Daryl.

Beth: Come on, guys. Skate with me.

Daryl: Nah, I don't skate.

Beth: Why? You're too manly to skate? (looks at Richard) Come on, Richard.

Richard: (sheepish) I'm not so good at skating.

Beth: It's alright. I'll make sure you don't fall.

Beth puts her hand out, and Richard reluctantly takes it. He steps onto the ice, and it's a little easier to skate on shoes than ice-skates. Richard falls on his stomach on the ice nonetheless, and Beth laughs at Richard grabbing onto her stomach.

Beth: (laughing) Wow, you're really bad at this.

Richard smiles and wobbles back onto his feet. Richard grabs balance, and Beth grabs his hand again. She skates with Richard, leading him around the frozen river and back. The 3 hear two wolves howling, and they all freeze looking into the woods listening to the wolves howling...

* * *

><p>Winters and Mina with Faron approach a clearing in the forest, and they look to see a road leading to an empty town. Mina gasps excited to see a town but Winters is cautious.<p>

Winters: (quietly) You stay here.

Mina: Why?

Winters: The town could be filled with walkers.

Mina: I want to go with you, Mr. Sergeant. Can you just wait for me a little?

Winters watches Mina picking up rocks and loading them into the wagon. She fills it halfway with rocks, and she holds the wagon handle in her hands so that Faron can travel light.

Mina: Okay. Let's go.

Winters leads the way with his gun as Mina follows him from behind. Winters chooses to enter the pharmacy first. Mina stops him by grabbing onto his pants. He looks down at the little girl, and she grabs 2 rocks. Mina throws the rocks into the pharmacy on the ground, and they hear snarls of walkers approaching the entrance from within the shop. Winters grabs his knife and kills walkers with Faron helping him. When all the walkers are dead in the pharmacy, Mina picks up the rocks again and puts them into the wagon. Winters immediately searches through the shelves for useful medicine. He loads them all into Mina's wagon as she watches out the door for any other signs of walkers. Winters then checks the cashier box and he opens it to see a gun and pocketknife. He checks to see that the gun is completely loaded. He stores the gun and pocketknife away into his bag and finishes gathering supplies for their continuing journey.

Mina: Mr. Sergeant. There's more of them coming.

Winters looks out to see more walkers headed their way little by little from the other shops.

Mina: Should we go back into the woods?

Winters: No, not yet. We can handle 5 of them.

Winters whistles for Faron, and the wolf trots to Winters' side. They both run to the 5 walkers heading their way, and they are all easily killed by the dynamic duo. Mina walks out with the wagon towards Winters and Faron while they finish killing the walkers, and Mina stops when her vision goes blurry. She rubs her eye with her free hand, but her vision is still blurry. Winters looks back at the child to see a walker coming out of a shop heading right towards Mina from behind. Winters knows he doesn't have time to run to the walker to kill it by knife silently, so he takes out his rifle and points it at the walker.

Winters: Mina! Get down on the ground now!

Mina looks back and sees the walker 2 feet away from her. She gasps and quickly squats down not leaving her sight off of the walker. Winters shoots the walker down, and Mina knows it's time to leave the town because hoards of walkers will be here soon enough. Winters and Mina run into the woods, and they come across a few walkers who are headed towards the town because of the gun shots. Winters is caught off guard from the up-close walkers, and a walker topples on top of him as the others start to surround Winters to bite into him.

Mina: (gasps) Faron, help him!

Faron helps Winters by first killing the walker on top of him, and Mina watches afraid of the walkers nearing in on Winters. Winters pushes the dead walker on top of him away, and he kills 3 walkers starting to surround him. Mina grabs a rock, and she chucks it at a walker closing in on Winters. It hits the walker in the shoulder, and it looks back at Mina. She throws another rock at the walker and hits it in the head. The walker falls on its back, and Mina quickly runs to that walker with a rock in her hands. She smashes the rock into the walker's head, killing it effectively. Mina then notices a walker walking behind Winters. He and Faron are busy taking care of the other walkers, so Mina grabs her shield. She runs to the walker and hits the walker's leg with the shield, making it fall down on its stomach. Mina then runs to the walker's head and decapitates the head off with the shield. The walker head is still snarling, so Mina lays the shield on top of the walker's head. Then she jumps on top of the shield, squishing the walker dead. Winters looks at what Mina did to save him, out of breath from killing more than 10 walkers in 20 minutes. He's surprised that he was saved by a 4-year-old and that a 4-year-old even had the guts to kill such deadly monsters.

Winters: (panting and looks at Mina) Thank you...

Francine and Robin are sitting on the ground in front of the fireplace. She and Robin haven't left the cabin since they locked themselves in, and they're both eating canned food for dinner. Robin glances at Francine and sees her just staring into the fireplace.

Robin: How are you feeling?

Francine: (looks at Robin) Fine.

Robin: Your stomach?

Francine: Better.

Robin: Mind if I...

Francine moves her hands away from her stomach, and Robin puts his hand on her stomach. Francine looks up and her eyes meet with Robin's. She quickly looks away, and Robin takes his hand off of Francine's stomach embarrassed. Francine stands up and walks towards the bedroom silently. Robin quickly bolts onto his feet and follows Francine as if he's in a trance to follow her. Francine can tell Robin is following her, and she stops walking to look back at him. Robin freezes when Francine looks back at him, and the two look at one another for a quick moment. Robin then takes another step forward to stand right in front of Francine. He's looking down into her eyes while she looks up into his. He leans in for a kiss, and he plants his lips onto hers. Robin moves his lips, and Francine responds back half-heartedly. Robin opens the bedroom door and leads Francine inside still kissing. Robin leans Francine down to the bed, and he leans down to kiss her again.

Francine: Wait.

Robin stops kissing her and looks at her.

Francine: Please don't come inside me.

Robin nods, and he kisses Francine again. Robin takes off his clothes, and Francine takes off her clothes. Robin looks down at Francine lying on the bed naked looking up at him. Robin foreplays Francine with his fingers, and he can feel her getting wet. He then moves Francine's legs apart even further, and he leans down on Francine making himself comfortable between her legs. He kisses her, and Francine moans under his lips when his tip is inside her. Robin slowly pushes in deeper, and he can feel Francine's nails digging a little deeper into his back as she gasps. Robin moves in and out slowly, and Francine moans sensually. She can't tell whether it's because she hasn't had sex in a while or whether Robin is actually really good, but Francine is already near finishing one. Francine wraps her legs around Robin, and she sends chills down Robin's spine when she climaxes. Robin keeps himself inside as Francine calms down from her peak. He stares into Francine's eyes, mesmerized by her beauty as she stares back into his eyes. She can see in Robin's eyes that he really cares for her.

Francine: Here, lean back.

Quickly Francine switches places with Robin and now she's on top while he's resting on his back. It turns Robin on the way Francine took over confidently, knowing exactly what she wants from him. She starts riding Robin hard, and Robin's mouth drops open from the sensation.

Robin: (moans) Oh god. Oh!

Robin looks up at Francine riding him like a rodeo and he feels himself getting close to finishing. He puts his hands around Francine's waist to stop her from moving anymore, and she looks down at him a little confused as to why he stopped her. Robin positions Francine above him, and he starts thrusting hard and fast, up and down. Francine moans loudly feeling such euphoria slowly creeping in her spine. She quickly leans back as Robin continues to thrust, and Francine reaches her climax instantly and hard. As she clenches with a shudder, Robin pulls himself out and comes on the bed. Francine calms down as Robin plops down on the bed next to her, still trying to get his grip together. The two are panting on the bed, calming down from their climax. Francine quietly sits up in bed and walks away to the door. Robin quickly sits up and looks at Francine staring at her body.

Robin: Where are you going?

Francine: (looks back at Robin) Just gonna wash up.

Francine then walks off into the bathroom to take a shower. Francine steps into the shower and she can't stop thinking about Richard. She feels guilty for having sex with Robin, but she just needed some physical release. She hopes that wherever Richard is, he's in a safer place than she is..

This time Richard, Daryl, and Beth couldn't find a car to sleep in on the road so they have no choice but to sleep out in the open within the woods. Daryl was smart enough to steal blankets from the previous car they were in, and everyone bundles up. It's Daryl's shift, so Richard and Beth are lying down on the snow next to one another. Beth is shivering cold, and Richard seems like he's fine.

Beth: (shivering) Aren't you cold?

Richard: I'm used to the cold. I'm from Canada.

Beth: Oh yeah, I forget you're from there.

Richard: You're freezing, aren't you?

Beth: (sarcastic) No, I shiver when I'm warm.

Richard: (chortles) Come here.

Richard scoots in closer to Beth and puts his arm around Beth to keep her tight and warm. Beth quickly wraps her arms around Richard, and she digs her face into Richard's chest. It sends chills down Richard's spine feeling Beth so close to him breathing warmly on him. It reminds him of Francine, and he gets saddened thinking about the reality of him and Francine being separated.

Beth: Is it hard having one arm?

Richard looks at Beth and is a bit taken aback by how close their faces are and how beautiful she is.

Beth: I've always wanted to know.

Richard: It takes time to get used to.

Beth: Maybe one day we'll come across some kind of engineer that can give you a robotic arm.

Richard smirks, entertaining the idea in his head as well.

Richard: If we end up in California and find Francine's brothers alive, they can fix my arm for me.

Beth: Why?

Richard: Her older brother is a bio-engineer. I remember he was talking to me about his latest project, a robotic arm that can be controlled by your thoughts. All you need to do is implant a chip in your brain that links your thoughts to the arm.

Beth: (smiles) It would be nice to have a robotic arm like that. Maybe you'll have Terminator-like strength.

Richard chuckles, and Beth looks at him with a smile. Richard feels a little awkward staring at Beth like this, and he feels a little sheepish seeing that Beth is looking at Richard with the same look on her face.

Beth: It would be nice if we could all get to California safely.

Richard: Have you ever been there?

Beth: No. I've been in Atlanta my whole life.

Richard: You'll love California. The beaches, the sun, it's beautiful there.

Beth: (smiles) I'd love to see the beach. I've never been to one. Promise you'll take me to California with you.

Richard: I'd never leave you behind.

Beth digs her face in Richard's chest again holding him even tighter. Richard holds Beth tighter too, and he feels Beth falling asleep in his embrace as the snow continues to gently fall from the sky.


	12. Chapter 12

Francine is awake in bed lying on her side. The sun shines through the blinds, giving light into the cabin. She feels Robin's arm over her waist, and she feels him breathing on the back of her neck sound asleep. Her baby bump is very large considering she's about 8 months pregnant. Francine quietly gets out of bed and puts on her clothes. She looks back at Robin still asleep, and she steps out of the cabin. Francine walks to the thawed river with Nayru and Eldin trotting by her side. Because Francine's stomach is very big, the most comfortable way to walk is with both hands on her stomach. She stares out at the river glistening under the spring sun, and it's completely silent. Francine sighs and looks down at her stomach, thinking about Richard. She takes her shoes off and steps into the river to feel the cold water on her toes. The cold of the water sends shivers down Francine's spine, and she hears footsteps behind her. She turns around and sees Robin walking towards her. She smiles, and he smiles back sheepish. Francine looks forward again, and Robin hugs Francine from behind. He wraps his arms around her bulging stomach, and he kisses her neck sweetly. Francine holds Robin's hands tightly in her grasp, and she leans her head back on Robin's collar bone. Robin jumps when he feels the baby kick.

Robin: (smiles) It's kicking.

Francine: I think he's gonna come out soon.

Robin: How soon?

Francine: I don't know. Soon.

Robin turns Francine around so she can look at him. He looks into Francine's eyes and tucks her hair behind her ears. Francine looks up into Robin's eyes, and she's touched by how much he cares for her. Robin kisses Francine lovingly, and Francine's stomach growls loudly. Robin laughs lightly while Francine smiles sheepishly.

Robin: I'll go get some food. Stay in the cabin while I'm gone.

Francine: Alright.

Robin walks hand-in-hand with Francine back to the cabin, and he kisses her again before he watches her enter the cabin with Nayru. Robin then walks off with Eldin to hunt for some food since they ran out of canned foods. Francine sits on a chair in front of the empty fireplace, and she stares out the window to the forest. Francine's mouth drops and she bolts onto her feet when she sees a teenage boy and teenage girl running out of the forest heading straight towards the cabin. Francine quickly squats down to hide away from sight, and she can hear the kids outside the cabin.

Girl: Wait, John. What if there are walkers in the cabin?

Boy: Then we'll kill 'em. We need a place to rest, Grace. We have to stay here.

Francine quickly gets back onto her feet and grabs the gun resting on the kitchen counter. She then locks the front door, and holds the gun firmly in her hands pointing it at the door. The boy tries to open the door, but it's locked.

Boy: (frantic) It's locked. The door's locked.

Girl: Here. Let's try this.

Francine can hear the door being hit with a large rock, and the teenage girl busts the door open with the rock. The two teenagers freeze when they see Francine standing next to the kitchen pointing a gun right at them with a large brown-furred wolf by her side.

Francine: (firmly) Don't move, or I'll shoot.

Boy: (puts his hands up) We're not armed. Please, lower your gun.

Francine eyes the teenagers and feels as if they're harmless because they're so young.

Boy: We just need a place to stay. Please, can you put the gun away?

Francine slowly puts the gun down, and when the gun is held limply in her hand the teenage boy brings out his gun and points it at Francine. Francine curses herself in her head, knowing deep down inside she shouldn't have been so clumsy and careless to let strangers take the advantage over her. Nayru snarls under her breath angrily, glaring down the boy still pointing the gun at Francine.

Girl: John, what are you doing?!

Boy: (to Francine) Give me your gun now or I swear I'll shoot you in the stomach.

Girl: John!

Boy: (keeps eyes on Francine) Shut up, Grace! I'm doing this for us!

Robin and Eldin come back to the cabin with dead rabbits slung over Robin's shoulder, and Robin halts when he sees a teenage boy and girl standing at the front door of the cabin. He can see the teenage boy has a gun out, and he knows that the boy is probably pointing the gun at Francine.

Robin: (whispers to Eldin) You get the girl. I'll get the boy.

Eldin quietly trots towards the cabin while Robin follows from behind.

Boy: (impatient) Give me the goddamn gun now!

Francine sees Robin and Eldin approaching the cabin cautiously to make a move on the teenagers, so she kneels down slowly to put the gun on the floor.

Boy: Now stand back up.

Francine just looks up at the teenage boy.

Boy: I SAID STAND UP!

In the next second, Eldin pounces on the teenage girl making her fall on her stomach. Eldin snarls intimidatingly on top of the girl, making her shriek her lungs out from fright. The boy is caught off guard by the grown wolf snarling like a monster on top of his girlfriend, and Robin elbows the boy in the back of the head as hard as he can. The boy falls on his face, and Robin grabs the gun from the boy. Robin runs into the cabin and stands in front of Francine, pointing the gun at the boy. Francine also stands back up pointing her gun at the boy as well. Eldin then walks off of the girl and stands next to Francine, still growling under his breath at the teenage couple.

Robin: Get out now or I'll kill you and your girlfriend.

The teenage girl is trying to calm down from being petrified by the wolf, and she slowly stands while looking at her boyfriend.

Girl: John, let's just go, please.

Boy: Alright. (sighs heavily) Alright, just...(to Robin) just please give me my gun back. We don't have any other weapon.

Francine: Don't give it to him, Robin. He's lied to me before.

Boy: (pleading) Please, I'm begging you, sir. The gun is all I have to protect me and my girlfriend. Please, I need the gun to survive out there.

Robin eyes the teenagers, and he feels sympathetic towards the two. He puts himself in the teenagers' shoes, naively thinking that he'd need the gun to protect his girlfriend too. Robin cautiously approaches the two and hands the teenage boy his gun back.

Boy: Thank you.

The girl walks off first, and the boy walks off backwards eying Robin. Robin watches the teenagers walking off towards the forest, and when he thinks they're far away enough he looks back to Francine concerned for her well-being.

Robin: Are you okay, Francine?

Francine: (widened eyes) ROBIN, DUCK!

Francine pushes Robin on the ground, and a gunshot fires through the glass window in the cabin shattering it loudly. The teenage boy fires another bullet, hitting the outside walls of the cabin. Eldin quickly runs out of the cabin towards the boy snarling his fangs angrily, and the boy pulls the trigger at Eldin but he's out of bullets. The teenage girl screams and runs off into the forest alone, and the boy stumbles back as Eldin pounces on him and bites deep into his neck. The boy screams in excruciating pain, and Francine's heart drops knowing that the cabin is no longer safe. Robin quickly runs out of the cabin and looks at the boy bleeding on the ground with large holes in his neck. Francine walks out with Nayru by her side, and she stands next to Robin looking down at the boy bleeding out, dying slowly. Nayru growls under her breath at the boy, and Francine looks to see walkers approaching in the distance.

Francine: (to Robin) We need to leave. The walkers are coming.

Robin: We can just get rid of them-

Francine: No. No the gunshots were too loud. There'll be too many of them. We need to leave now.

Robin: (sighs) Alright. Stay out here. I'm gonna grab some stuff inside.

Francine watches Robin running into the cabin to grab a few things, and she looks back down at the boy who's looking up at her with tears in his eyes.

Boy: (weakly) Please...kill me...

Francine just looks down at him emotionless, and the boy coughs out more blood. He is now gasping for air as the blood pouring out his mouth is blocking air from entering.

Boy: (crying) Please...they're coming...

Francine turns her back on the boy, and he watches Francine walking off towards the cabin with Nayru and Eldin by her side. Robin comes running out carrying a filled blanket like he's Santa Claus carrying around a bag of toys.

Robin: Let's go.

Boy: (crying helplessly) Please! Please kill me! Please!

Robin and Francine look back at the boy on the ground. The walkers are approaching even closer, and the two look at one another.

Francine: Let's go.

Robin holds Francine's hand, and the two start running through the forest with Nayru and Eldin by their side. After running for 5 minutes, Francine gasps sharply and stops running. She hollers in pain and leans her back against a tree.

Robin: W-What's wrong?

Francine's mouth and eyes are wide open from the pain and shock. She grabs onto her stomach as an indescribable amount of pain explodes inside of her stomach.

Robin: Francine?!

Francine: (hyperventilating) The baby...the baby is coming!...

Mina and Winters are walking within the forest with Faron. Mina is carrying the wagon by the handle while Faron is free from being saddled.

Mina: Do you like fishing, Mr. Sergeant?

Winters: (glances down at Mina) I've tried it before. I'm not very good at it. Have you ever fished before?

Mina: Yes. I went with Richard and Franny a long time ago. It was so much fun! We caught so many kinds of fish, and then Franny cut the fish so we could eat it.

Winters: Raw?

Mina: (nods) Uh huh. I forget what it's called.

Winters: I'm not so sure either. I'm not a real fan of fish.

Mina: Fan of fish?

Winters: (smiles) It means I don't really like fish.

Mina: But fish is so yummy! It's my favorite food in the whole world! It's squishy, soft, and so yummy-

Mina and Winters stop walking when they see a little cabin in the middle of the forest. They stare at this cabin for a moment, and Winters examines everything from his position. He notices a dead body of a boy near the cabin with many walker bodies piled up to the side. He can see the grass is stained with a lot of blood around the dead boy. Winters signals for Mina to follow behind him. He knows telling Mina to stay won't matter because she won't leave him alone, so now Winters makes Mina follow him from behind if they come across anything special. Winters approaches the cabin first with Mina following behind and Faron by her side. He looks down at the dead boy, and he can see large holes in his neck as if an animal bit him. There's a bullet hole in his forehead, showing that someone killed the boy off before he could turn into a walker. Winters then looks at the pile of dead walkers. It's as if the cabin was attacked by these walkers just recently. Winters and Mina can hear the laughter of two little girls, and the two hide from sight behind the cabin's wall. Winters peeks out and sees two little blonde girls playing together.

Mika: Catch me, Lizzie!

Mina: (gasps) Lizzie?

Winters shushes Mina, but Mina walks in front of Winters to peek through. She gasps seeing Lizzie chasing after Mika, the two giggling together.

Mina: Mika! Lizzie!

Mina hops out from her hiding spot before Winters can stop her, and Mika stops running when she sees Mina.

Mika: (gasps) Mina!

Before Mika can run to Mina, Lizzie comes up behind Mika and stabs her in the back with a knife. Mika's face turns into a look of horror, and Mina can't understand what's wrong with Mika. Lizzie takes out the knife and stabs Mika again and again multiple times. Mika falls to her knees with tears strolling down, and Mina sees Lizzie standing there with a bloody knife in her hand.

Mina: Lizzie?

Mina sees tears flowing down Mika's face, and Lizzie stabs Mika in the back one more time with the final blow.

Mina: Mika!

Mina runs forward towards Mika, but Winters grabs Mina to stop her.

Mina: MIKA!

Mika: Run Mina! Run!

Lizzie: Why won't you die?!

Lizzie then grabs the knife out of Mika's back and stabs it behind Mika's neck, and that blow kills Mika. Mika falls on her face into the grass with the knife protruding out of the back of her neck.

Mina: (crying) MIKA!

Mina tries to push Winters' arm off of her so she can run to her friend, but Winters throws Mina over his shoulder to carry her off. He runs away with Mina on his shoulder crying for her dear friend as Faron runs away with the wagon saddled around himself to get away from the murder scene...

Richard, Beth, and Daryl arrive at a graveyard with a funeral home on the land. The 3 cautiously approach the home, and Daryl opens the front door. The 3 search through the home for walkers or people, and they find none. They reconvene in the kitchen, and they look through the cabinets for food. They note how clean everything looks with stacked cans of food and no dust anywhere.

Richard: This place is too clean. Someone's been living here.

Beth: You don't think they'll mind if we take some food, do you?

Beth is holding a can of tuna, and Richard and Daryl look at one another.

Beth: We can leave a note to thank them for the food and shelter.

The 3 agree to stay in the funeral home for the night, so they set up tripwires all around the house by using yarn and empty cans. After a long day of securing the house, the 3 rest in the living room and eat. Daryl and Richard sit on the couch eating canned food while listening to Beth play the piano. During this moment of silence and zen, Richard's mind wanders to Francine and Mina wondering where they are and how they are coping. Suddenly, the 3 hear a dog squealing outside as if it's in pain. Daryl walks to the door while Richard and Beth stay behind. Richard has his machete in his hand while Beth is unarmed. Daryl looks through the peephole to see hoards of walkers heading towards the house from the dog's noise. He quickly locks the door and shouts for Beth and Richard.

Daryl: Walkers are coming! Get out of the house through the windows! I'll be right behind you!

Beth: Daryl-

Daryl: Go now!

Walkers bang on the door, and Daryl leans against it with all his might to give Richard and Beth time to escape. Richard puts his machete away to grab Beth's hand and they escape through the window with Richard leading the way. As soon as their feet hit the grass, Richard and Beth are immediately greeted by a group of people with golf clubs in their hands. Before Richard and Beth can react, they get knocked out cold...

* * *

><p>Francine: Oh shit! The baby's coming now!<p>

Francine starts hyperventilating and doesn't have the energy to stand on her feet. She leans back on a tree and is sweating greatly. Robin can see walkers approaching them, so he kneels down to Francine. He cups Francine's face in his hands, and he makes her look at him. Francine groans when she can hear walkers snarling getting louder.

Robin: Francine, Francine look at me. We need to get out of here. You _can't_ have the baby here.

Francine: (crying and hyperventilating) I can't move. I can't move, it hurts too much.

Robin: (pleading) Francine, you _have_ to move. You _have_ to get up. The walkers are getting closer.

Francine looks back and sees the walkers nearing them.

Robin: Come on.

Robin puts Francine's arm around his shoulder while he puts his other arm around Francine's waist, and they walk away as quickly as they can with Nayru and Eldin looking out for them. They keep walking until they come across another river. Robin knows he can't make Francine keep walking, so he sets her down next to the river. Francine is still hyperventilating, and she looks much more pale than before.

Robin: (panicking and trembling) Oh god, Francine. I-I don't know what to do. I don't know how to help.

Francine: (deep breath) J-Just make sure the baby's head- (groans and gasps in pain)

Robin: R-Right, right, yeah. A-Are you gonna push?

Francine: I have to. I have to. It hurts.

Robin: O-Okay, okay, wait.

Robin sets out the blanket on the ground, and he helps Francine onto the blanket. Francine takes off her underwear and lays down on her back, breathing unevenly. She takes a piece of the blanket and bites onto it hard, preparing herself to push. Francine screams under her breath as she pushes hard, and Robin looks but sees nothing coming out.

Robin: I-I-I don't see it. I don't see a head.

Francine keeps pushing and crying in pain, and Robin's mouth drops when he sees the head slowly appearing. It finally hits Robin that the baby is going to come, and he can't take his eyes off of the baby's head. He puts his hands out to support the baby's head which is partially out.

Robin: (keeps eyes locked on the baby's head with his mouth wide open) Keep pushing. Keep pushing, Francine. I see the head.

Robin quickly looks around to make sure there aren't walkers nearby. There aren't any for now, but Robin knows walkers will appear soon enough from Francine's cries. Robin is shocked at how fast the baby comes out after the head appeared, and he can't believe he's holding the baby in his arms now. The baby cries loudly in Robin's arms, and he stares down at the newborn baby with his mouth wide open. Francine looks up weakly to see her baby, and she watches Robin cutting the umbilical cord with a pocketknife. Francine rolls off of the blanket, and Robin wraps the baby with a blanket. The snarls of walkers echo through the forest as they hear the crying of the baby. Robin looks around but still doesn't see any walkers nearby, so he wants to give Francine some time with her newborn baby before they have to start running. Robin hands the baby to Francine, and she starts crying uncontrollably as she holds her baby. She's overwhelmed with mixed emotions. She's happy because she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, but she's sad because the baby only reminds her of Richard and how much she wished he was here with her. Eldin whimpers lightly, and Robin looks up to see walkers starting to get nearer. He knows it's time to leave again. Robin stands up first and he puts his hand out. Francine can see walkers getting closer as her baby is still crying loudly. She grabs Robin's hand, and he helps her onto her feet.

Robin: You ready?

Francine: (nods) Yeah. Let's go.

Robin takes knives in both hands to lead the way through the forest while Francine follows him from behind. Nayru runs by Francine's side while Eldin runs by Robin's side...

Mina stares into the river quietly. She's still traumatized from what she saw, what Lizzie did to Mika. Winters is sitting away from Mina, eying her. His feet are in the water, and he's using his jacket as a net to catch fish. Even though he's being loud while catching fish since he's not very good at it, Mina doesn't ever glance at Winters to see what the noise is about. She just stares into the water blankly with Faron drinking water by her side. Winters manages to catch 4 large fish, and he takes them all to Mina. He puts the fish in front of Mina's eyes, and she looks up at him. Winters weakly smiles at her.

Winters: Hungry?

Mina: No.

Winters: (sits next to Mina) You should eat something. It's time for lunch.

Mina: I'm not hungry.

Winters quietly sits next to Mina as she continues staring into the river.

Winters: Who were they?

Mina: My friends from the prison. Lizzie and Mika...(looks up at Winters) Why did Lizzie kill Mika? They're sisters. Sisters aren't supposed to hurt each other like that.

Winters: ...well, this world makes you do crazy things to stay alive.

Mina: But Mika wasn't doing anything wrong. There weren't any walkers too. Why did she kill Mika? I don't understand.

Winters: I don't know...(looks at Mina) But what we do know is that she's dead. There's nothing you could've done about that, nothing that could've stopped that from happening.

Mina is quiet. She sighs and looks at the fish resting on Winters' jacket. She takes out her pocketknife around her belt, and she takes a fish in her hand. Mina cuts off the fish skin the way she learned from Francine as Winters watches attentively. Mina teaches Winters how to skin fish, and he practices skinning on one. He's not very good at it, but neither is Mina. They both try their best skinning the fish, and then Mina cuts the meat off the fish sashimi-style. She shows Winters how to do it, and he listens the way Mina listened to him when he explained to her how to skin rabbits. After cutting up the fish, Winters and Mina sit together eating raw fish by the river.

Mina: I want to find Franny. I miss my sister.

Winters: (looks at Mina) We'll find her.

Mina cries lightly, and she sits there wiping her tears away with her sleeves. It breaks Winters' heart seeing the little child crying quietly in such pain. He lifts Mina up and puts her down gently on his lap. Mina digs her head into Winters' chest as she wipes her tears away, and Winters hugs the little child comfortingly.

Winters: We'll find your sister. I promise we will. (looks down at Mina) And you trust me, don't you?

Mina nods and sniffles. Winters smiles and sits there hugging Mina, comforting her until she falls asleep in his arms for a late nap...

Beth wakes up on a hospital bed, and Richard is sitting right by her side on a chair. Richard jumps when he sees Beth waking up, and he smiles down at her.

Beth: (confused) What...

Richard: We're in a hospital.

Beth sees Richard with a black eye and bandages around his head as if he was beaten up recently.

Beth: What happened? Where's Daryl?

Richard: I don't know. I don't think Daryl is here with us.

Beth looks around her room hospital. She slowly sits up and when she does the door opens. Dr. Edwards and Officer Dawn enter Beth's room together, and Beth sees Richard's face darken when he sees those two.

Dawn: Good to see you're awake.

Beth looks at Richard as if for reassurance.

Richard: This is Dawn, and that's Dr. Edwards.

Beth: (to Dawn and Edwards) Where am I?

Dawn: At a safe haven where you won't get hurt. Your injuries have been taken care of by Dr. Edwards here.

Edwards nods.

Dawn: (walking forth) You know, we found you bleeding on the side of the road, you and Richard. We saved your lives.

Beth and Richard look at Dawn, not saying anything.

Dawn: You owe us.

Beth: Owe you what?

Dawn: Service.

Edwards can see Beth is frustrated that she doesn't understand what Dawn is talking about, so he intervenes.

Edwards: If you don't mind, Dawn, I'm going to check up on Beth now.

Dawn: (nods) Of course.

Officer Dawn steps out while Edwards walks over to Beth and Richard.

Beth: (to Edwards) What did she mean by service?

Edwards: (checking Beth's vitals) In this hospital, everyone has a job. I'm the doctor, Dawn is the leader. There are cooks, nurses, janitors...in fact, Richard, you've got a job to do right now.

Richard looks at Edwards, and Edwards looks back at Richard.

Edwards: You were lucky Dawn didn't do anything about you being in here during working hours. You should go now.

Richard: (reluctant) Yeah.

Beth: Wait-

Richard: (to Beth) It's okay. I'll visit you soon, alright?

Beth watches Richard leave her room as Edwards continues checking her to make sure she's fine.

Edwards: Are you two a couple?

Beth looks at Edwards and back at her door.

Beth: ...no. We're just friends...

* * *

><p>Robin and Francine stare at the sign for Terminus and a map providing its location. Francine's baby boy is bundled in a blanket, asleep in her arms while Eldin and Nayru are by Robin and Francine's sides.<p>

Robin: (sighs as he looks at the sign) Safe haven huh...

Francine: Let's go there.

Robin: (looks at Francine) Are you sure you want to?

Francine: Yeah. Maybe the people I'm looking for are there.

Robin: Right...(sighs) Alright then. Let's go to Terminus.

Robin and Francine walk side-by-side with Robin armed with knives in both hands. Eldin walks by Robin's side while Nayru walks by Francine's side, and they all walk along the railroad tracks to head to Terminus...

Richard disposes a dead body down the elevator shaft, and he's able to hear the snarling of walkers from afar. After he finishes the day cleaning up as a janitor, he visits Beth in her room. He knocks lightly, and Beth says to come in. Richard pokes his head in first, and Beth smiles happy to see him.

Richard: Let's go get dinner.

Beth and Richard walk together to the kitchen, and they grab some food. The two head back into Beth's room to eat their dinner together. For a while, the two are silent, unable to speak.

Richard: We gotta get out of here, Beth.

Beth: (looks at Richard) How?

Richard: (leans in and whispers) There's an elevator shaft where we dispose dead bodies. I can hear walkers from there, so there must be an exit around there that leads outside.

Beth: Must be?

Richard: (sighs) That's the thing. I don't know this hospital, and I'm not even sure there's an exit below the elevator shaft. But we need to find someone who wants to get out with us, someone we can trust to not rat us out to Dawn. They can show us how to get out of here, and we can take them with us.

Beth: Do you know anyone who'll do that for us?

Richard: No...I guess it's time to start making new friends.

Beth quietly eats her food, and she glances at Richard.

Beth: This is a bad place, isn't it?

Richard looks up at Beth.

Richard: What makes you say that?

Beth: The first thing you've said to me about this place is that we need to leave.

Richard doesn't answer Beth and he quietly eats his food.

Beth: Richard?

Richard: ...I can't find Francine and Mina if I'm stuck in here. That's why I need to get out.

Beth: What about me?

Richard looks up at Beth confused.

Beth: What if...I wanted to stay?

Richard: Trust me, Beth. You don't want to stay in here.

Richard can see he's worrying Beth, and he puts down his fork to hold Beth's hand.

Richard: Hey. I promised I'd take care of you. I won't let anyone hurt you, and I won't leave you behind, Beth. I'm gonna take care of you, alright?

Beth nods, and the two continue eating their dinner together in silence...


	13. Chapter 13

Robin and Francine stand and gawk at the enormous, heavily-fenced building with the large sign Terminus hanging on it. Francine stands there with her 2-month-old baby boy, Joe, cooing in her arms and wrapped in a blanket. Over his shoulder like a bag, Robin is carrying the blanket from the cabin filled with random things he was able to grab in a short amount of time before walkers could raid the cabin. Eldin stands by Robin's side while Nayru stands by Francine's side, and Robin holds his knife tightly in his other hand. The two take their time staring at this building, knowing that revealing themselves to Terminus will be a huge gamble. They will either be good people like Rick and the people of the Prison, or they will be demons like the Governor.

Robin: (stares at Terminus) So...how do you want to go about this?

Francine: (to Robin) Can you hold Joe for a sec?

Robin: Yeah.

Robin puts his knife away and puts the blanket down, and Francine hands baby Joe to him. She takes a step forward, still hidden behind the bushes, to take a better look at Terminus. Francine opens the blanket-bag and digs for the binoculars.

Francine: (digging through the blanket-bag) Where are the binoculars?

Robin: I don't know. I put it back in the blanket after I used it.

Francine: Well it's not in - oh, never mind.

Francine takes out the binoculars broken in half, now a monocular.

Robin: Shit. I'm sorry.

Francine: It's fine.

Francine looks through the monocular at Terminus to examine what's going on. She notes the people behind the fenced gates of Terminus walking around with machine guns and other powerful guns in their hands. Francine finds it a little unnerving that such a "safe haven" is bombarded with people armed with such deadly weapons. She has a bad feeling about Terminus deep inside her gut, but she reasons in her mind why these people are armed with machine guns because of the walker apocalypse. Francine and Robin continue kneeling in the grass as they both observe Terminus from afar with Robin holding baby Joe in one arm while looking through the monocular in his other hand.

Francine: (continues looking into the monocular) We're just going to have to go through the entrance.

Robin: Just _waltz_ right in?

Francine: (sighs) We've got no other choice. I'm assuming they've got other high-end artillery considering they've got machine guns.

Francine then looks up at the rooftop of Terminus and sees people walking around as if keeping guard. She's not an expert on guns, so she has no idea if what they're holding are machine guns or sniper rifles.

Robin: They're going to see us way before we approach the entrance.

Francine: Yeah. We should leave everything here.

Robin: What...you mean the blanket and everything?

Francine: Yeah.

Robin: Why?

Francine: It'll make us seem more vulnerable. They won't have to worry about us being a threat.

Robin: But what if _they're _a threat to _us_?

Francine: That's why we leave our things here. If Terminus isn't what we hoped it'd be, then we leave together and come back for our things here.

Robin: You think they'll just let us leave?

Francine: They probably won't, but I damn-well hope so.

Francine straps a knife around her ankle tightly, and she hides it under her long jeans. She takes her baby back into her arms, and she hands Robin a handgun.

Robin: I thought you wanted to leave everything here.

Francine: Just in case.

Francine hides the blanket-bag, and she shoves Nayru and Eldin away.

Francine: (to the wolves) Go. Don't follow us into Terminus.

The wolves stare at Francine but don't budge.

Francine: (looks at Robin) You ready?

Robin: (deep breath) Yeah. You?

Francine: (nods) Yeah.

Robin and Francine stand up staring at Terminus, their hearts pounding so hard it feels like it's popping out of their chests. The two look back at the wolves staring right back at them. Francine and Robin walk down the hill towards Terminus side-by-side. As Robin and Francine approach Terminus, the complex is filled with gunfire. It sounds as if there's a war going on in Terminus, and it reminds Francine of the time when the Governor destroyed the Prison with his tanks and guns. Francine jumps from the sudden gunfire, and baby Joe starts wailing from being frightened by the loud noises.

Robin: (panics) Shit, Francine. Let's go. Terminus is not safe.

Robin and Francine turn around but they see two men standing there pointing their guns right at them.

Man 1: You're not going anywhere.

It sounds like the gunfire noises are getting louder, as if the people are running around and shooting at the same time. Joe just keeps wailing loudly, and Francine holds him tightly in her arms.

Francine: The signs said Terminus was a safe haven.

Man 1: It is.

Francine: Does _that_ sound like a safe haven to you?

Man 2: We have some issues to deal with.

Man 1: Yeah. We've got other newcomers in Terminus besides you two and your baby.

Robin: Look, it was a mistake for us to come here. Just let us go. We're unarmed.

Man 2: Can't do that.

Man 1: You're gonna come with us. Move, now.

Robin and Francine start walking slowly as the two men follow them from behind, pointing the guns at their backs. The gunfire ceases after a few minutes, and Robin and Francine look at one another. They share the same look of concern. They turn the corner and they see red train carts. They see people surrounding these train carts armed to the teeth, and a man is standing on top of a roof looking down at everything that's happening.

Man 2: (to the man on the roof) We brought the wolf-people, Gareth.

The man on the roof, Gareth, looks down at Robin and Francine, and he smirks at the two. Gareth hops off the roof and he approaches Robin and Francine examining them with his machine gun at hand. He walks around the two, and his eyes land on the baby.

Gareth: Cute baby.

Francine doesn't reply. She just looks at Gareth.

Gareth: That bag you had. What's in it?

Francine and Robin don't say anything. They have a bad feeling about this man interrogating them.

Gareth: I'll give you one more chance to answer me. What's in that bag you had?

Francine and Robin still don't answer.

Gareth: (scoffs) Fine. Have it your way. (to the other men) Hold them down.

The other men of Terminus walk behind Robin and Francine to hold them down. They grab both of Robin's arms, and when they grab Francine's arms Gareth takes baby Joe right out of her grasp.

Francine: No! No stop! Give him back! / Robin: Don't take him! Stop! Don't hurt him!

Gareth looks at baby Joe looking around, unaware of what was happening, tears stained on his angelic face.

Gareth: What's its name?

Francine: (pleading) Please, give my baby back. Don't hurt him, please.

Gareth: All you have to do is tell us what was in that bag.

Gareth looks at his gun in his other hand as if entertaining the idea of shooting Joe in order to get an answer.

Robin: (quickly) Food, water bottles, clothes.

Gareth: (looks at Robin) No weapons?

Robin: There are. Just knives.

Gareth: No guns, huh?

Robin: No guns. I swear.

Gareth: You wouldn't mind if we check for ourselves, will you? And, uh, while we do (looks at Francine) we'll take good care of your baby.

Gareth snaps at an old woman, and she walks towards him. He hands Joe over to the woman, Mary, and Francine starts shaking with rage because of how helpless she is at the moment.

Francine: (threatening) You give me my baby back now!

The woman looks at Francine sadly, but she takes baby Joe and walks away with him.

Francine: (shouting at the woman) Give me my baby! GIVE ME MY BABY!

The woman continues to walk away, not looking back at Francine once, with Joe in her arms.

Francine: (crying) I swear to god I'm gonna kill you! I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU HURT MY BABY!

Gareth: Now now, let's all calm down. It's only a temporary thing, just till we find your bag. Besides, Mary is a sweet old lady. You can trust her. (clasps hands together) So, wolf-boy and wolf-girl, today is a very special day. Can you guess why?

Robin and Francine glare at Gareth.

Gareth: (smirks) We've had a lot of new visitors here in Terminus. Now, in order to sort through the good and the bad, we here in Terminus are going to give you some time to make your case on why we should accept you here in our safe haven. So, while you take time to put together your case, you're going to stay with all the other new visitors in there.

Gareth points to the red train cart.

Gareth: Go ahead, wolf-boy and wolf-girl. Don't make me point my gun at you.

Robin and Francine turn around and walk towards the red train cart. A man opens the door, and he shoves Robin and Francine into the dark train cart. Francine becomes even more enraged feeling trapped now. She bangs her fists on the metal cart angrily.

Francine: You're all dead! I swear to god I'm gonna kill all you sons of bitches!

Rick: Francine?

Francine looks back and is shocked to see Rick, Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, Michionne, Carl, Bob, Sasha, Tara, Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita. Maggie and Michionne hug Francine first, and Francine is so in shock that she can't hug back. Francine takes a moment to look at everyone, unable to believe she's finally been reunited with the Prison group.

Francine: (looks at the group) You guys...you were the ones who were shooting earlier, weren't you?

Carl: (puts his hand up) Guilty.

Glenn: We heard you talking about a baby...

Francine: (nods) My baby boy.

Glenn: You mean...

Francine: Yeah, I have a son. (looks back at Robin) This is Robin. He let me stay in his cabin while I was pregnant. Robin, this is the group I was with back at the Prison except for (looks at Tara, Abraham, Eugene, and Rosita) them.

Abraham: We've got time to do introductions later. First, we gotta think of a way to get out of here.

Rick: It won't be hard. The people of Terminus are plain stupid.

Robin: What makes you say that?

Rick: (looks at Robin) They screwed with the wrong people...

Winters and Mina are fencing with wooden sticks. Mina is giggling hard while Winters smacks her in the arm with the stick. Winters has taken it upon himself to teach Mina how to fend for herself, teaching her how to use a knife, teaching her how to hunt, and many more lessons of living out in the wild. Mina thinks of Winters as a great mentor, and Winters thinks of Mina as a learning pupil. The two jump around fencing for nearly an hour when Faron howls loudly. Winters and Mina stops fencing and look at the wolf.

Mina: (looks at Faron) What's wrong, Faron?

Faron runs away, and Mina and Winters look at one another.

Mina: Come on, Mr. Sergeant. We have to follow Faron.

Mina runs through the forest with her wagon, and Winters follows behind. They both come to a halt when they hear gunfire from afar as if some kind of war was going on. Faron comes running back and howls as if telling the two to hurry up.

Winters: We need to be careful, Mina. Stay behind me.

Winters walks ahead with his gun and knife while Mina follows from behind carrying the wagon with a knife in her other hand. They follow Faron towards the sound of a baby crying.

Winters: Is that...a baby?

Mina: (gasps) Maybe it's Judith!

Winters: Be alert. Walkers should be approaching because of the noise.

Mina nods, and she continues to follow Winters. The two approach a clearing, and they see a bunch of walkers surrounding a small wooden cabin. They know that the sound of the baby crying must be coming from inside the cabin. Winters and Mina examine this cabin and the walkers surrounding it. They quickly hide under the bushes when they hear the front door open. They see a man reluctantly walking out of the cabin to where all the walkers are.

Mina: (gasps) Tyreese!

Tyreese immediately starts killing off the walkers as best as he can while not getting scratched or bit.

Mina: Faron!

The wolf leaps onto a nearby walker, biting into its head effectively killing it. As Tyreese and Faron fight off the walkers, Mina runs out against Winters' wish. Before Mina can get to a walker to kill it, Winters kills that walker with his knife as he gets to it before she can. Winters helps Tyreese kill off the walkers with Faron helping, and when all the walkers are dead Tyreese looks at Winters.

Mina: Tyreese!

Tyreese looks down at Mina, shocked that the little girl is well and alive. Before anyone can say anything else, the front door of the cabin opens by a man holding Judith captive. Tyreese pounces on the man and starts punching him in the face blow after blow. Mina takes a step back, afraid of this angry side of Tyreese. Winters stands in front of Mina, watching Tyreese beating this man to death. For the final blow, Tyreese cracks the man's neck killing him for good. Tyreese then wobbles into the cabin, and Winters cautiously follows. Winters quickly glances down at the dead man, and then he looks up to see Tyreese holding a baby girl in his arms.

Mina: (gasps) It's Judith.

Mina pushes Winters out of the doorway so she can enter the cabin. Tyreese falls to his knees crying and holding Judith in his arms. Mina looks down at the baby girl, happy that she's unscathed and alive...

Richard and Beth meet up with Noah after lunch in Beth's room.

Richard: You guys ready?

Beth and Noah nod, and Richard can see how worried Beth looks in case they get caught. Noah leaves Beth's room, leaving her and Richard alone.

Richard: You okay, Beth?

Beth: (fake smile) Y-Yeah, gotta be, right?

Richard: (nods) Yeah. Ready?

Beth nods, and Richard nods back. He walks out of Beth's room and looks around the hallways. Richard takes a left, and he runs into Dr. Edwards. Richard freezes as Dr. Edwards smiles.

Edwards: Hey. You busy, Richard?

Richard: (composing himself) Uh, no. Not really. What's up, doc?

Edwards: I was hoping you could help me get some supplies from the storage room.

Richard: Sure, yeah. What are they?

Edwards names a list of vials, syringes, medical supplies he needs. Richard repeats the list back, and Edwards is surprised he actually remembers.

Richard: (nods) Got it.

Richard walks off, and he makes a right in the hallway. He pauses, and he looks back to see Edwards gone. He then continues straight down the hall towards the elevator shaft where Noah is waiting for Beth to come with rope.

Noah: Meet anyone on the way?

Richard: The doc.

Noah: What'd he want?

Richard: Some medical supplies.

Noah: Screw that, right?

Richard smirks, and Beth comes walking down the other hallway with rope. She hands it over to Noah, who ties it so that it can support a person's weight.

Noah: Ladies first.

Noah helps Beth down the elevator shaft slowly as Richard peers down watching Beth. They can hear the walkers' snarls below them, and it becomes loud for Beth. She firmly plants her feet on top of a dead patient's body from 2 days ago. Beth then lets go of the rope, and Noah brings it back up.

Noah: You'll be next.

Richard hangs onto the rope with all his might, and Noah gently lowers him down.

Man: Hey! Hey, what are you doing?!

Noah: Oh shit!

Noah quickly jumps down the elevator shaft after seeing an officer make his roundabouts. He crashes into Richard, and Noah lands on top of Richard as Richard lands on a dead body. They both groan in pain, but Noah was cushioned by Richard in the fall. Noah stumbles onto his feet, and Beth quickly helps Richard onto his feet. His arm aches in pain as he landed wrong, and Beth runs with Richard. They see the bottom gate opened by Noah, and they run out into the sunlight. It's been so long since Beth and Richard felt the sunlight on their skin, and they see Noah up ahead past the outer fence. He motions for Beth and Richard to run. Beth and Richard run side-by-side, but the officers make it out with their guns.

Officer: Stop running or we will shoot you down!

Richard: Keep running, Beth!

Richard and Beth keep running, and the officers shoot trying not to aim at their bodies. One of the bullets catches Richard in the back of his ankle, and he falls to the ground stomach first.

Beth: Richard!

Richard: Go! Just go!

The officers start running to get Richard and Beth, and Richard knows it.

Richard: Go Beth! Run!

Beth: I can't leave you!

Beth runs to Richard, and she gets down on the ground as the officers arrive. Richard and Beth look at one another as they're taken back into the hospital handcuffed. They both look back at the outer fence, and they see Noah long gone and an officer running to the gate to close it from the walkers.

* * *

><p>The door of the train cart opens, and there stands a man with a machine gun in his hand looking at the group. He forces all the guys to leave the train cart, and Francine watches Robin walking out. Then a woman walks up to the door. She points to Francine and motions for Francine to walk out. Francine steps out and she watches Robin looking back at her as he follows the man into the east building.<p>

Woman: Move.

Francine moves and walks into the next building. Francine walks into an empty room, and she sees a young woman sitting in a chair. The door behind Francine closes so that it's just Francine and the young woman in the chair.

Woman: We found your bag. Looks like your boyfriend was telling the truth.

Francine: Where's my baby?

Woman: (smirks) Not just yet, wolf-girl. Well...you're not really a wolf-girl anymore.

Francine eyes the woman, not understanding what she's talking about. The woman walks to the corner of the room where there's a bloody blanket over something. She then tosses the blanket in front of Francine's feet as if it were trash, and Nayru's dead body rolls on the ground. Francine's mouth drops as she sees Nayru's eyes open and lifeless, her body full of bullet holes.

Woman: She was a smart one, but she's still an animal. She killed 3 of my friends with that other huge gray wolf, so I killed her.

Francine looks back at the woman, trembling with rage, tears forming in her eyes.

Francine: (trembling) Where is my baby? You said I'd have my baby back once you find my things.

Woman: Uh uh. I never said that. _Gareth_ said that.

Francine: (lifts her chin) And he's your leader, isn't he? Whatever he says goes, right? You don't have precedent over him.

Woman: (scoffs) And what the hell do _you_ know about Terminus?

Francine: I know Terminus is run by a hierarchical system. There's the top dog, Gareth, and then there's the bitches, _you_.

The woman smacks the butt of her gun right in Francine's face angrily. It hits Francine's eye, and her head snaps back from the impact. The woman then points her gun at Francine as Francine recuperates from the sudden attack.

Woman: Yeah, not so smart-mouthed now, are you, _bitch_?

Francine doesn't answer but continues to look at the woman.

Woman: (scoffs) I don't know why the hell Gareth let any of you live. All of you, you nearly started a war with us.

Francine: If you wanna avoid war, maybe you shouldn't be stealing babies and killing animals for fun.

Woman: You know, you've got a big goddamn mouth on you.

The woman pins Francine to the wall and points her gun right under Francine's chin pointing up.

Woman: How 'bout I fix that problem for you?

Suddenly, all of Terminus shakes violently as if a great bomb exploded on the premises. Francine and the woman lose their balance from the explosion, and Francine quickly reacts. She takes out the knife hooked on her ankle, and she pounces on the woman. Before the woman can fight back, Francine stabs her knife up through the woman's chin and jaw. The woman looks up at Francine shocked, and blood pours out from the woman's mouth as Francine looks into her eyes watching the woman bleed.

Francine: (growling) This is for stealing my baby.

Francine moves the knife in the girl's jaw as if she's carving, and the woman groans in excruciating pain. Tears flow down the woman's eyes.

Francine: And this is for my wolf.

Francine takes out the knife, and she slits the woman's throat to cut the jugular. The woman starts crying as she massively bleeds out on the floor, and Francine holsters her knife on her belt. She then grabs the woman's gun and looks back at the woman. She's still squirming around, looking at Francine as if begging to die. Francine then looks at Nayru's dead body, and she reluctantly leaves with a heavy heart leaving the woman to bleed. When Francine steps out, she sees walkers roaming into Terminus. The fences have been blown apart by the explosion, and gunfire roars through the air. As Francine looks around Terminus trying to figure out which building to search for Joe, Eldin comes running to Francine through the woods. She gasps, and she kneels down at Eldin.

Francine: Find Joe. Where's Joe?

Eldin runs off, and Francine follows. As she turns the corner, there are 3 walkers heading her way. She shoots the 3 walkers with her newly found machine gun, and she runs to the dead walkers. She rips them open and covers herself in their blood. When she's finished drenching herself in the walker blood, she continues to follow Eldin into a building. As she quietly enters, she sees the old woman sitting on a rocking chair feeding Joe milk from a bottle.

Francine: Don't move.

The old woman looks back to see Francine drenched in blood, pointing a gun right at her.

Mary: Think about what you're doing.

Francine: You should've thought about what _you _did, stealing my baby from me.

Mary: We didn't steal your baby.

Francine: You _took_ him from me. You_ took_ him from my arms.

Mary: To feed him milk, sweetheart.

Francine: Don't _fucking_ call me that. Give me my baby now or I will kill you.

Mary slowly hands Joe to Francine.

Mary: This place used to be a real sanctuary, you know. It was supposed to be a safe place for all survivors. And then...things changed.

Francine: You should've done something about it.

Mary: (scoffs) Look at me. I'm an old lady. You think people will actually listen to me?

Francine doesn't answer, not wanting to condemn the old woman more for being so weak. Francine walks to the door, and she looks back at the old woman sit back down on her rocking chair. Francine walks out of the building, and she quickly heads for the forest with Eldin by her side. As she walks through the forest away from Terminus, she comes by Rick and the others including Robin. Robin runs to Francine and hugs her tightly, and he kisses Joe on his head.

Robin: I was worried something happened to you.

Francine: I'm fine.

Robin: Here, I'll hold Joe.

Robin holds Joe because Francine is covered in walker blood. A wolf's howl echoes through the forest, and Eldin perks his ears up. Eldin howls back, and the wolf from afar howls again. Eldin then runs forward, and Francine looks at Rick. He looks at Francine, and the group walks forward. They come across a clearing where they see Tyreese, Winters, and Mina sitting on the porch of a wooden cabin with Tyreese holding Judith in his arms. No one can believe Judith and Mina are alive, and Rick runs to Tyreese for his baby. Francine comes to a sudden halt when she sees Mina smiling and talking to Winters happily. She always knew deep in her heart that Mina was alive, but she never imagined meeting Mina like this after such circumstances.

Francine: Mina?!

Mina looks up when she hears her name being called, and she sees Rick running to Tyreese to hold Judith in his arms. She sees Francine there covered in walker blood. Mina rubs her eyes and takes another look at Francine, seeing her big sister there.

Mina: FRANNY!

Mina runs to her sister, and Francine kneels down to hug her baby sister. Francine breaks down in tears as she hugs her baby sister, and Mina can't stop smiling seeing her sister well and alive. Francine looks at Mina's face and sees her unscathed.

Francine: (crying) I'm so glad you're okay.

Mina: Franny, this is Mr. Sergeant. He helped protect me from walkers, and he taught me how to live in the wild!

Francine looks at Sergeant Winters, and she stands back up.

Francine: You protected my sister when she was by herself?

Winters nods, and Francine hugs the man tightly breaking down in his arms.

Francine: (crying) Thank you so much, sir. (looks up at Winters) What's your name?

Winters: Sergeant Richard Winters, miss.

Francine: Richard...

Francine is struck that she never fully realized Richard wasn't with the group.

Francine: (to Mina) Richard wasn't with you?

Mina: No.

Francine: (to the group) None of you saw him? Richard?

No one answers. Francine is upset that Richard isn't here, but she's glad she at least found Mina safe and alive.

Glenn: Is that...is that Carol?

The group looks to see Carol walking back with a poncho drenched in walker blood. She's carrying guns and Daryl's crossbow, bringing them back for the group. No one can believe Carol is there with all the equipment she has, and they know that she must've been the one who caused the explosion in Terminus.

Rick: Did you...save us?

Carol just smiles, and Rick hugs Carol tightly.

Rick: (tears) Thank you. Thank you, Carol. We owe you our lives.

Winters: I don't mean to interrupt this moment, but there will be more walkers heading this way. The explosion was tremendously loud.

Rick: (nods) Let's go find shelter...

Beth visits Richard in his room, and she's shocked by his appearance. His only arm is in a cast, his left ankle is bandaged thickly because of the bullet that hit him, and his face is completely bruised and swollen from being beaten by the officers. Beth, however, is unscathed. Beth gasps, her heart dropping seeing what these people have done to Richard.

Beth: Oh Richard.

Beth runs to Richard's side and she rests her hand gently on Richard's arm.

Beth: (tears) I'm so sorry this happened to you.

Richard: (angry) You should've gone, Beth. Why did you stay?

Beth: I wasn't going to leave you behind.

Richard: You should've left.

Beth: (sternly) Richard, I'm not leaving this place without you!

Richard looks at Beth, and he sees tears in her eyes.

Beth: Why can't you get it? You're all I've got, Richard. (a bit sheepish) You're the only one who gets me, and I need you.

Beth looks at Richard to see his expression, and he's a bit startled and taken aback by her sudden confession. Beth leans in and slowly kisses Richard on the lips sweetly. Richard slowly closes his eyes and accepts Beth's kiss, kissing her back lightly. Beth then leans back and looks Richard in his eyes turning red. Beth can see Richard's face lighting up, and she smiles shyly biting her lip.

* * *

><p>Mina is fast asleep right next to Faron on the grass. The group had to make camp in the wide open because there is no other option. They all have shifts, and right now it's Francine and Carol's shift. The two sit in front of the small campfire to keep warm while keeping watch. Francine holds baby Joe in her arms as she's taking her shift.<p>

Carol: Did Richard know about Joe?

Francine: No. I didn't even know I was pregnant till I got to Robin's cabin.

Carol: After the prison was destroyed?

Francine: Yeah. (looks at Joe) He has Richard's eyes.

Carol: So Robin...you and he are...a little affectionate.

Francine: (chuckles lightly) Yeah...he took care of me when I was pregnant, and he took care of Joe. He looked after us to make sure we were safe when we left his cabin. He's a good guy.

Carol: (smiles) So, where's Nayru?

Francine: ...she's dead.

Carol: I'm sorry.

Francine: (getting angry) It was those goddamn Terminus people. They killed her.

Carol: (calmly) Hey, at least we're all together again.

Francine: (calms down from her anger) Yeah. I wish Richard was with us.

Carol: I'm sure he's fine. Wherever he is, he's taking care of himself trying to find you and Mina.

Francine wonders if Richard really is fine. She knows he's out there fending himself with one arm against walkers and bad people. She can only wish that he's with good people who look out for one another the way their group looks out for one another. Francine looks back at Mina sleeping on Faron.

Francine: (smiles) She grew up so much. She must be...5-years-old now.

Carol: She's still an angel.

Francine smiles but is quickly saddened thinking of Richard. Carol sees this.

Carol: Knowing you and Richard, you'll find each other soon.

Francine looks at Carol.

Carol: We'll find Richard, and we'll all be together again. Like old times.


End file.
